The England winger has already agreed personal terms on a five-year deal with an option for a further year. Chelsea, who will make Sterling their highest earner by handing him a deal worth just £300,000-a-week, will complete the signing once the 27-year-old passes his medical. The deal is a major boost for new Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly, who has taken over the club’s recruitment on an interim basis. Thomas Tuchel is looking to upgrade his attack and identified Sterling as a key target at the start of the summer. Tuchel wants more toughness in the final third and has held positive talks with Sterling about where he would fit in at Chelsea, who are also in talks with City over a deal to sign Dutch centre-back Nathan Aké. City were in no mood to prevent any player from leaving. Sterling, who hopes to link up with the Chelsea squad on their pre-season tour of America, has fallen down the pecking order in Pep Guardiola’s attack over the past two seasons. Ake, who has already agreed personal terms to return to Chelsea, is also keen to start on a more regular basis. Chelsea need to strengthen their defense after losing Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers. A deal for Aké should be straightforward as he offers City over £40m. Tuchel is a long-term admirer of Aké, who came through Chelsea’s academy before joining Bournemouth in 2017, and tried to sign him when he was in charge of Borussia Dortmund. Apart from Ake, Chelsea’s defensive targets include Juventus’ Matich de Ligt, Paris Saint-Germain’s Presnel Kibebe, Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Sevilla’s Jules Coutet. Bayern Munich are also interested in signing De Ligt. Chelsea want to hand Tuchel significant capital this summer. They remain in the race to sign Rafinha after agreeing a £55m fee with Leeds for the Brazilian winger. They face competition from Barcelona for Rafinha, who prefers a move to Spain. Armando Broja was not part of the travel party that flew to the US on Saturday. It is hoped the 20-year-old striker, who is wanted by West Ham, Everton, Napoli and Newcastle, will link up with his team-mates next week. Also not on the plane to Los Angeles were N’Golo Kanté, whose contract with the club expires next summer, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Chelsea says this is because of her Covid vaccination regime. Chelsea are set to play three matches Stateside, the first against Mexican side Club América next Saturday. They then face Charlotte FC before a match against Arsenal in Florida on July 23.
