Chelsea's first summer sale 'confirmed' as Blues set to lose player Raheem Sterling loves

Chelsea have reportedly decided to sell Armando Broja this summer once he returns to Stamford Bridge from a miserable loan spell at Fulham. Raheem Sterling called Broja ‘the truth’ after seeing him in training for the first time, but the striker’s struggle for form looks set to call time on his spell in west London.

Broja joined Fulham on loan in January after failing to displace Nicolas Jackson in the Chelsea starting XI. The Blues academy product was expected to be a regular starter for the Cottagers, who were on the lookout for a reliable goal-scorer.

Rodrigo Muniz’s subsequent hot streak, with nine goals in his last 14 matches, therefore came at the worst possible time for Broja, and manager Marco Silva has only been able to give the loanee 60 minutes of Premier League action.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea and Broja are set to part ways with a permanent move ‘as soon as he returns from Fulham’. Clubs in England and continental Europe are thought to be keen on the 22-year-old.

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Broja caught the eye during a season-long loan at Southampton in 2021/22, becoming a regular in the starting line-up and scoring six Premier League goals. His explosive pace and towering 6ft 3in frame make him a handful for defenders.

But the Slough-born Albania international is low on confidence and seemingly bound for a new challenge. A Chelsea exit seemed miles away when Broja put pen to paper on a bumper six-year deal back in 2022.

Despite his poor recent goals return, interest is sure to be plentiful this summer with West Ham, Wolves and Real Madrid among the teams to have expressed an interest in the past.

Shortly after signing for Chelsea in 2022, Sterling was asked for his take on Broja. “He’s the fastest man in the world,” the former Manchester City star told Ian Wright on UMM’s TikTok page.

“When people see him properly… yeah. I can’t lie, I’ve told my friends that he’s the next one. It’s him. I’d heard a lot of things about him before but never really watched him – he’s the truth. The truth.”

Broja has spent 15 years on the books at Chelsea, having signed for the Blues as a young schoolboy. The forward described playing regularly with the first team as a ‘dream come true’.