Raheem Sterling Picture Credit: Twitter
England international Raheem Sterling made a move to Chelsea after serving Manchester City for seven years. The 27-year-old settled for a £47.5m switch to the Blues and also expressed delight after joining Chelsea. However, reports have emerged that Sterling was keen on moving back to Liverpool but the chiefs did not show much interest in re-signing the midfielder.
According to recent reports, Raheem Sterling, who has already played from Liverpool from 2010 to 2015 was hoping to reunite with the Reds but the owners turned down the chance to re-sign the 27-year-old. Journalist Jacques Talbot has claimed that Sterling wanted to move back to Anfield.
"We heard from reliable sources that Raheem Sterlinga ctually wanted to go to Liverpool before making the move for Chelsea. I don't think Manchester United were a consideration, but what I heard is that in essence, Liverpool rejected him," Talbot explained while speaking to GiveMeSport.
Notably, Raheem Sterling recorded 23 goals and 25 assists in 129 senior appearances for Liverpool but departed in acrimonious circumstances for Manchester City in a £57.3m deal seven years ago.
The 27-year-old then won 12 major trophies at the Etihad with Manchester City before returning to London after 12 years. Reports had also claimed that a move to Catalan giants Barcelona was also on the card for Raheem Sterling with a reunion with former Man City assistant Mikel Arteta at Arsenal also briefly tipped.
Nonetheless, Raheem Sterling chose Chelsea as his next destination and the England international was more than happy to come back to London. "First and foremost, it's a pleasure to be here. I've obviously achieved a lot in my career so far, but there is still so much more to achieve and I'm really looking forward to doing that in a Chelsea shirt, under Thomas's management," Raheem Sterling told Chelsea's official website post his signing.
"London is my home and where it all started for me, and it's amazing I now have the opportunity to play in front of friends and family week in, week out at Stamford Bridge. I'm really looking forward to meeting the fans there soon," he added.