Chelsea 'pay Raheem Sterling £10m to play for Arsenal' as Blues risk being red-faced

Todd Boehly and co. risk being left red-faced by Raheem Sterling’s move to Arsenal, after it emerged Chelsea are reportedly paying the winger £10million to play for their London rivals this season.

Sterling made the shock move from west London to north of the capital on deadline day, once it became clear he wasn’t part of manager Enzo Maresca’s plans.

The ex-Manchester City and Liverpool star had originally joined Chelsea two years ago for around £50m, penning a five-year deal with the two-time European champions.

Sterling didn’t even reach the halfway mark of his original Chelsea contract before being shipped out on loan to Arsenal.

And as the Englishman gears up for his Arsenal debut, the financial details around his Gunners move have surfaced, with ESPN reporting Chelsea are likely to waste around £10m this season, in order to facilitate Sterling’s move.

That’s because Chelsea aren’t pocketing a loan fee for the season-long deal, with the Blues also shouldering over half of Sterling’s expensive wages for the campaign.

It proved a deal too good for Mikel Arteta and co. to turn down, with Sterling expressing his delight about the move upon his arrival at the Emirates Stadium.

Speaking to the Arsenal website, he said: “I’m buzzing. It’s one where we left it late but it’s one I was hoping for. Looking at everything, I’m just like: ‘this is a perfect fit for me’, and I’m super happy that we got it over the line.

“It’s a perfect fit for myself to be at a football club like this, where you can see that hunger, that desire, year on year, they are pushing and pushing and pushing. That’s exactly how I am as a person.

“Each year you want to get better and do better than the previous year. Hopefully I can gel really well with the boys and get going.

“It’s time now to meet the boys, get settled in and hopefully now see some game time and make my mark.”

Manager Arteta added: “He’s a top guy, a top character. I’ve been watching his journey because I spent some time with him at Manchester City, and to see him come in here and stamp his mark on this amazing football club, with this amazing history, it says a lot about him and the great job he is doing here.”

Having watched from the stands during the weekend draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, Sterling will now have to wait an extra week until Arsenal play again.

But, the 29-year-old could make an immediate impact in next weekend’s north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.