Leeds interest comes to light as Raheem Sterling announcement made
Leeds were interested in signing free agent Raheem Sterling after his Chelsea exit.
A report from The Sun on 12 February claims that the Whites had considered a deal for Sterling, after the former England ace left Stamford Bridge.
The Elland Road outfit were among a host of clubs that wanted the 82-cap international, with Everton and West Ham making approaches for his services.
However, he has now decided on his new club, linking up with ex-Manchester United and Arsenal forward Robin van Persie at Feyenoord.
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Why Leeds were right not to go ahead with Sterling interest
Sterling would have been a good value deal in terms of a transfer fee as he had agreed to terminate his hefty contract with the Blues in January.
However, his wages would still likely have been expensive for Daniel Farke‘s side, with the report stating that he was on £325,000-a-year in West London.
Even half of that would not have been a realistic option for the Peacocks, given the Profit and Sustainability concerns that they have at the moment, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin understood to be their highest earner on around £100,000-per-week.
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Sterling would not have helped Leeds in their survival bid
There are huge question marks over Sterling’s ability to play consistently at the highest level after a lack of football in recent years.
He did not play a single game for Chelsea this season before his deal was ripped up, and he only featured 28 times for Arsenal in the last campaign.
He scored just one goal for the Gunners in the 2024-25 season, but did manage five assists in that time.
| Stats | Sterling |
| Matches | 28 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 5 |
| Minutes played | 1,143 |
The Whites made the right decision not to press ahead with any interest they may have had in the 31-year-old.
He would have not been worth the wage expenditure and could have upset the balance of the current squad, as they try to secure their future in the top-flight.
The LS11 outfit are six points above the relegation zone, with 12 matches left to play, and if they had have brought Sterling in, it could have destabilised their momentum.
Farke’s side have enough attacking options to get themselves over the line at the business end of the campaign, they did not need the ex-Blues flop, who is now set to play in the Dutch league.
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