Juventus are reportedly exploring the possibility of signing Chelsea attacker Raheem Sterling as part of a swap deal this summer.
Sterling's future at Stamford Bridge has been called into question after he was surprisingly left out of the matchday squad for Chelsea's opening Premier League game of the new season - a 2-0 defeat to champions Manchester City on Sunday.
The decision made by new head coach Enzo Maresca to omit Sterling led to the player's representatives releasing a statement prior to kickoff publicly seeking "clarity" over the attacker's future.
Part of the statement read: "As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem's future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation. Until then, we will continue to support Raheem's desire to start the new season positively."
Maresca has since confirmed that it was nothing more than "a technical decision" to leave Sterling out of his squad, but he has suggested that the England international may have to leave Chelsea before the transfer window shuts on August 30.
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Juve negotiating Sterling-Chiesa swap deal with Chelsea
According to Sky Sport Italia reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, Sterling has been a transfer target for Serie A giants Juventus throughout this summer, and they approached Chelsea with an offer last week.
The report states that Juve have been in negotiations with Chelsea over a proposed swap deal involving Sterling and fellow attacker Federico Chiesa.
However, Chelsea are said to have turned down Juve's initial offer and there are discrepancies between both clubs over the valuation of the two players.
Sterling's wages are believed to be a stumbling block for Juve, with the 29-year-old said to be earning around twice as much as what Chiesa pockets at Juventus.
Chelsea could yet push forward with a move to sign Chiesa, but that is only expected to happen if they agree to sell Sterling.
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Chiesa, Sterling facing uncertain futures
Juventus are known to be keen to offload Chiesa this summer as he is now deemed surplus to requirements under new head coach Thiago Motta.
The 26-year-old Italy international has been left out of Juventus' matchday squad for their opening Serie A match of the new season at home against Como on Monday night.
Chiesa, who could be available for as little as £12.8m this summer, has entered the final year of his contract in Turin and has made a total of 131 appearances for Juve across all competitions since joining the club in 2020, scoring 32 goals and registering 23 assists.
Sterling, meanwhile, still has three years left on his Chelsea contract and has contributed with 19 goals and 12 assists in 81 games for the West Londoners since joining from Man City for around £50m in July 2022.
Oliver Thomas
