Exiled Raheem Sterling stripped of Chelsea squad number as he seeks transfer – but No.7 shirt hasn’t been handed to new signing Joao Felix

Raheem Sterling has been deprived of his assigned shirt number at Chelsea, even though he remains a member of the club. Instead, the number has been given to a newly arrived player at Chelsea.

Sterling has been banished from the Chelsea squad.
The winger has been advised to depart from the club. Another player has been assigned the squad number previously held by Sterling. Despite expectations, Sterling will not retain the No.7 jersey at Stamford Bridge for the upcoming season. Nevertheless, the winger has been stripped of his shirt number and it has been given to Pedro Neto, who recently joined from Wolves and was initially allocated the No.19. Similarly, Joao Felix has taken over the No.14 from Trevoh Chalobah, who is also being displaced.
This news is the most recent turn of events in the ongoing Sterling crisis that has unfolded in the past few days. The English player was excluded from the team lineup as Chelsea began the new Premier League season against Manchester City on Sunday, leading his agents to issue a statement demanding clear information regarding his future. As reported by The Times, the 29-year-old individual has been engaging in training sessions at their residence since Friday, rather than at the Cobham facilities. This change in training location occurred after they were informed that they will face difficulties in obtaining playing opportunities throughout this season.
The recently appointed Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca, has officially said that both Sterling and left-back Ben Chilwell have been instructed to undergo separate training sessions from the rest of the team. Maresca acknowledges that it would be more beneficial for them to seek opportunities at different clubs before to the closure of the transfer window on August 30th.
Sterling is contemplating his alternatives as he seeks an avenue to go from the English metropolis. There are reports that he has been offered to Aston Villa, a team in the Premier League. If he joins Aston Villa, he would have the opportunity to play in the Champions League next season. Additionally, Juventus, a team in Serie A, is also claimed to be interested in him.