Update on Joao Felix and Raheem Sterling's future at Chelsea
Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix Near Chelsea Exit Ahead of 2025/26 Season
The chapters of Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix at Chelsea Football Club appear to be drawing to a definitive close as the club prepares for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
According to highly respected transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, both players have been excluded from the squad that will represent Chelsea at the prestigious tournament. The club is now actively seeking permanent solutions for their futures, with plans to offload the duo before the end of the current summer transfer window.
Joao Felix, who joined AC Milan on loan in January 2025, and Raheem Sterling, who moved to Arsenal earlier in the season, both struggled to make meaningful impacts at their respective temporary clubs. Their underwhelming performances have led Chelsea to deem them surplus to requirements under new manager Enzo Maresca’s plans.
In a symbolic move that underlines Felix’s fading role at the club, his iconic No. 14 shirt has already been reassigned. The number will now be worn by Dário Essugo, the highly-rated Portuguese midfielder who joined Chelsea this summer from Sporting CP in a deal worth £18.8 million. The 20-year-old is seen as a key part of Chelsea’s future midfield engine and will be included in the Club World Cup squad.
The No. 14 shirt carries a rich legacy at Chelsea. In previous years, it has been worn by notable players such as André Schürrle, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Tiemoué Bakayoko. It was also donned by academy standouts Fikayo Tomori and Trevoh Chalobah before they moved on from the club.
As Chelsea reshapes its squad under Maresca, both Sterling and Felix are expected to move on permanently—bringing their brief and inconsistent Chelsea tenures to a close before the 2025/26 campaign begins.
