Five rival clubs Chelsea beat to Sterling transfer as £45m deal finally struck

Chelsea appear set to finally make their first signing of the summer transfer window after agreeing personal terms with Raheem Sterling.

Mirror Sport reported on Wednesday that Sterling has reached an agreement with the Blues ahead of his £45million transfer from Manchester City. It is stated that Tuchel's 'personal touch' is what convinced Sterling to swap the Etihad for Stamford Bridge.

The deal is anticipated to go through in time for Sterling to join Chelsea's pre-season tour to the United States. Here, Mirror Football looks at the five rivals who Chelsea and Tuchel beat to complete their first business of the summer.

Liverpool

A return to Anfield would have been seen as being 'remarkable' given the fact that Liverpool are City's main title rivals. Sterling spent three years in the Reds' senior team, after joining the club's academy from Queens Park Rangers when he was just 16 in 2010, though his exit was acrimonious.

While Jurgen Klopp is described as having been 'keen' on Sterling, it is not known how concrete his interest actually was. The exits of Divock Origi and Sadio Mane, coupled with Roberto Firmino's injury issues, mean that Sterling would have been a welcome addition to Klopp's squad.

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Real Madrid

Having missed out on Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid have been in need of a superstar addition to Carlo Ancelotti's squad. Sterling was seen as being an option to potentially fill that role, especially given Ancelotti's reluctance to use several of his star attackers.

It is claimed that Los Blancos 'pushed hard' to sign Sterling over the past few weeks, having kept a close eye on him throughout the summer. Having seen Gareth Bale and Isco leave, with Marcos Asensio set to follow and Eden Hazard out of favour, Sterling would have been the perfect man to resurrect their attacking corps.

Barcelona

Barcelona are also desperate to add some big names to their squad following a disappointing season. Xavi is aiming to overhaul his team, with a number of arrivals expected, despite their financial problems.

Those issues likely sunk their hopes of signing the England international, though they were certainly interested. They went as far as attempting to make a loan move for him in January, though it did not come to fruition.

Paris Saint-Germain

A slightly perplexing interested suitor was Paris Saint-Germain, despite the French club already having Neymar, Lionel Messi and Mbappe on their books. The Ligue 1 champions are attempting to undergo something of a reset this summer.

But even so, they are said to have held an interest in signing Sterling following his starring performances for City. Neymar could leave this summer, with Sterling likely eyed as a possible replacement before he agreed to join Chelsea instead.

Bayern Munich

Having suffered a disappointing exit from the Champions League last season, Bayern Munich have also been looking to boost their squad with some star names. They have already signed Sadio Mane, which may have seen their interest in Sterling wane as Chelsea pounced.