Crystal Palace eyeing January move for “fantastic” Chelsea forward

Oliver Glasner. (Getty)

The January transfer window is shaping up to be a busy period for both Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

For the Eagles, preparations are underway to cope with the potential departure of captain Marc Guéhi, as the club will need to reinforce their defence if their star defender leaves.

On top of that, Palace are also exploring ways to inject fresh attacking talent into the squad, particularly with Jean-Philippe Mateta’s future still uncertain.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are focused on trimming their squad by offloading players who are out of favour.

Axel Disasi is already expected to leave Stamford Bridge, and now it appears another senior player could be set to make the move to Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace are reportedly targeting Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling in the upcoming January transfer window.

Despite being described as “fantastic” by Enzo Maresca, Sterling has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge and has yet to feature in any first-team games this season.

The 31-year-old spent last season on loan at Arsenal, but his return to Chelsea has done little to improve his situation, with Maresca making it clear that he is surplus to requirements.

According to FlashScore, Palace view Sterling as a potential short-term solution to bolster their attack in the middle of the season. While the Eagles typically prioritise younger recruits, the experienced forward could bring immediate Premier League quality and knowledge to the squad.

Sterling has spent the majority of this season training away from the first team, and any move would depend on Chelsea agreeing to the terms and the player being satisfied with his role and conditions at Palace.

Barnaby Lane is a highly experienced sports writer who has written for The Times, FourFourTwo Magazine, Sports Illustrated, TalkSPORT, and Business Insider.

Over the years, he's had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Christian Pulisic, and more.