Chelsea0 - 1Man City

The 29-year-old has another three years left to run on his contract at Stamford Bridge, and he had been expected to be a part of manager Enzo Maresca's plans during the 2024-25 campaign.

However, Sterling has been left out of the squad for the London club's Premier League opener against the reigning champions.

The Englishman's representatives are now seeking "clarity", as they had expected that their client would be involved against Pep Guardiola's team.

"He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training, and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with," said the statement.

Sterling camp require "clarity" from Chelsea

"He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend's fixture in some capacity.

"As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem's future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation. Until then, we will continue to support Raheem's desire to start the new season positively."

Explaining his decision to leave Sterling out of the squad, Maresca told Sky Sports News: "The manager has to make some decisions. Sometimes players don't like it, that's normal. Just a technical decision, no more than that."

Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku are operating in the wide areas against Man City, with Nicolas Jackson playing through the middle.

Will Sterling leave Chelsea this summer?

Marc Guiu, Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto and Mykhaylo Mudryk are the attackers in reserve for Chelsea against Man City on Sunday afternoon.

Sterling arrived at Chelsea from the Citizens in the summer of 2022, and he has represented the capital side on 81 occasions, scoring 19 goals and registering 12 assists in the process.

The omission has come as a surprise to the Sterling camp, and it will be fascinating to see how the situation unfolds over the next couple of weeks.

Chelsea are still in the market for another attacker, which would push Sterling further down the pecking order, and all of the signs are pointing towards an exit.

However, Sterling has a lot of time left on a very lucrative contract, and he is well within his rights to sit tight and refuse to depart unless a suitable offer arrives.