New Delhi: Raheem Sterling has left Chelsea by mutual agreement to terminate his contract early. The forward has not played a single match for Chelsea in the ongoing season and has been training away from the first team.
The 31-year-old last played for Chelsea in May 2024 and spent last season on loan at Arsenal. He still had 18 months left on his contract and was the highest earning player in the club, on more than £300,000 a week.
Raheem Sterling has today departed Chelsea FC by mutual agreement.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 28, 2026
Chelsea release official statement
Chelsea released an official statement stating that Sterling has left the club on mutual agreement and thanked him for all the contributions he made while wearing the blue jersey.
“Raheem Sterling has today departed Chelsea Football Club by mutual agreement, bringing to an end three-and-a-half seasons as our player, having signed in the summer of 2022 when he was transferred from Manchester City,” Chelsea said in a statement.
“We thank Raheem for the contribution he made while a Chelsea player and wish him well for the next stage in his career,” the statement added.
He was dropped from Chelsea’s 28-man squad for the Club World Cup in June 2025 and was also not included in their Premier League and Champions League team for the 2025-26 season. Sterling last played a competitive match during Arsenal’s 2-1 win against Southampton on the last day of the Premier League 2024-25 season.
He was signed by Chelsea for £50million from Manchester City in 2022, but was left out of the squad by Enzo Maresca after he replaced Mauricio Pochettino as head coach in 2024.
Sterling also struggled to deliver impactful performances while on loan at Arsenal, scoring just one goal in a Carabao Cup clash against Bolton Wanderers and started just seven times in the Premier League. He made 81 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, netting 19 goals.