Raheem Sterling rejected by Union Berlin – What is next for former England star?

Sporting director confirms 

For the first time in three years, Union Berlin could have made significant headlines on the last day of the winter transfer window. Back then, Isco was undergoing a medical at the Berlin club, but the deal would ultimately fall apart. Now Raheem Sterling was offered to the club. The English star is available after Chelsea terminated his contract a few days ago. Sporting director Horst Heldt confirmed the approach by the player’s camp on Monday.

“In every transfer window, you’re confronted with names that make you rub your eyes,” Heldt said. “In this case, it just wasn’t serious, so we didn’t move forward. We won’t be doing anything today. We were offered a few players, but there wasn’t anything concrete.”

With a market value of €5 million, Sterling is currently the most valuable free agent available. The 31-year-old winger earned a reported €19.5m a season at Chelsea, despite struggling for playing time. This season, he failed to make a single appearance for the London club. Altogether, he managed 19 goals and 15 assists in 81 games across all competitions for Chelsea. Last year, he spent time on loan at city rivals Arsenal, where he scored one goal and provided five assists in 28 games.

Raheem Sterling – Where will he go next?

Chelsea have been trying to offload the player since last summer, but the market remained cold on Sterling. As a result, Sterling trained separately from the first team. Now, without a contract, Sterling is on the hunt for a new club. Although Union turned down an approach, there are still some other options. The transfer window in Türkiye doesn’t close until February 6, and Samsunspor appear interested. Another club that appears to be interested is the Azeri club Qarabağ FK. Qarabağ advanced from the Champions League group stage and will face Newcastle United in the playoffs. The window in Azerbaijan is open until February 10.