Thomas Tuchel makes contact with Raheem Sterling as Chelsea look to launch a bid of up to £60m for the Manchester City star

Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling has just one year left on his contract at the Etihad, and Chelsea believe they can land him.

And the Blues are so keen on signing the England international that Thomas Tuchel has reportedly contacted his side as the Londoners look to launch their first bid for him.

Sterling has attracted interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Barcelona and Real Madrid.

But in the Premier League, it’s Chelsea who have the 27-year-old on their wishlist.

Now, The telegraph report that Blues boss Tuchel has contacted Sterling’s representatives as they prepare to launch their first offer.

The west London club are set to submit a bid between £50m and £60m for the winger who contributed 13 goals to City’s winning Premier League campaign last season.

After signing with Liverpool in 2015, Sterling was City’s most-used player under Pep Guardiola and ranked among the club’s top 10 goalscorers.

Last season, however, Sterling played less than two-thirds of the minutes he could have in the Premier League, dropping the Spaniard’s pecking order.

It says a lot that he was allowed to enter the final 12 months of his contract without any rumors of an extension since February.

And it was clear from the early stages of last season that he was considering a move, with him looking for consistent playing time ahead of the World Cup this winter.

“If there was the option of going somewhere else for more playing time, I would be open to it,” Sterling said. FT Business of Sport US Summit in October 2021.

But while he may be falling out of favor at City, for Chelsea, Sterling could be the perfect fit.

Given that he’s topped all of the Blues’ top scorers in the last five Premier League seasons and registered 109 Premier League goals in his career, he’s the kind of pedigree whose Tuchel’s team needs to rebuild their attack.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are still awaiting the loan of striker Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan, after his £97.5million move last summer fell short of expectations.

New Blues chairman Todd Boehly has promised Tuchel six new signings this summer, and the German seems determined to make sure Sterling is one of them.