'I Know For A Fact' - Stefan Borson drops big Chelsea transfer verdict

Crystal Palace are unlikely to pay more than £8million to land Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling on a season-long loan deal.

That is the view of finance expert Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider Sterling currently costs the west London club around £20million a year due to his £325,000-a-week wages and additional expenses.

The England international was omitted from Chelsea’s matchday squad on 18 August against Man City and responded by issuing a statement via a spokesperson.

Sterling insisted he is “committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea and the fans” and wants “clarity” on his situation.

Enzo Maresca has since said the winger will not feature in his plans for the 2024-25 campaign and that he is working with just half of the 40-plus players on the first-team books at Stamford Bridge.

The Evening Standard reported on 23 August Palace are among the Premier League clubs looking to strike a deal for the 29-year-old before the 30 August transfer deadline.

Chelsea will have to subsidise Raheem Sterling’s potential Crystal Palace move

But Borson insisted Chelsea will have to subsidise Sterling’s wages to get him off the books.

He told Football Insider: “We know for a fact a club like Crystal Palace are not going to pay more than about £100,000 a week for Raheem Sterling.

“Maybe they will pay a small loan fee on top. It’s hard to believe they will pay more than £8million a season, including his wages.

“That would mean a huge subsidy would be required from Chelsea to get him off the books.

“That sounds like a bad situation for Chelsea, but at the end of the day, even £8million to offset their costs for a player they have no use for would be worth doing.

“His costs on the books are obviously very substantial due to his £325,000-a-week wages on top of the fact that you then have to pay his national insurance and pension.

“That seems to be around about 15 per cent on top from Chelsea’s historic accounts.

“You are talking about a player who on an annual basis before amortisation costs on the balance sheet, which is about £10million, costs them something like £20million a year.

“They don’t want him and have said he’s got no place in the squad, so really it’s all about damage limitation for Chelsea now on that player in particular.”

In other news, Marc Guehi responds to Crystal Palace after latest Newcastle bid.

For more Crystal Palace and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.

The post 'I Know For A Fact' - Stefan Borson drops big Chelsea transfer verdict appeared first on Football Insider.