Arsenal are said to be weighing up a deadline day swoop for Raheem Sterling – just days after Mikel Arteta insisted he would not sign the Chelsea winger.
Sterling, 29, has been deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge and been frozen out by Enzo Maresca, who has confirmed the player would no longer feature for the Blues moving forward.
The former Manchester City and Liverpool star is now seeking a new club before Friday night’s transfer deadline and The Emirates has emerged as a potential destination.
That’s according to a report from The Independent, who claim that Arsenal – who are in the market for an attacker – have been ‘offered’ the chance to sign both the 82-cap England star and Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman.
While it’s outlined that a deal to bring Sterling to North London would be anything but straightforward, Arteta has made no secret of his admiration for a player he worked closely with during his time at Manchester City – but he did flat out shoot down suggestions he would sign Sterling in the same press conference.
Speaking last week, Arteta was asked about Sterling’s situation at Chelsea and if he would consider signing the winger. The Spaniard responded: “No but I can talk about my time with Raheem. My time with Raheem was exceptional. We built a really strong relationship together. He was unbelievable at the time we were together.
“He taught me a lot as well, about individuals, how they, players think, how we support them. He is someone I have really strong feelings about.”
While it remains to be seen if Arteta will go back on his word by making an attempt to rescue Sterling from his Stamford Bridge nightmare, Maresca reaffirmed that neither Sterling nor any of the other out of favour players at Chelsea would get minutes if they failed to secure a move away this week.
The Italian was asked if Sterling would be on the move and replied: “We’re gonna see. I prefer to be honest with the players, and with Raheem I have been exactly the same.
“The ones who are not involved are not going to be involved, and they are not going to get any minutes in case they stay.
“I don’t know what happens when the transfer window closes. We’ll see who is here and who is not here. The only thing I can say is the ones who are going to get minutes are the ones I feel can help us.”
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