Man Utd swap Sancho for Sterling as Antony exits – Chelsea ace’s transfer dream

Stamford Bridge outcast Raheem Sterling could fulfil a childhood dream by joining Manchester United in the coming days.

The England international is currently training away from Enzo Maresca’s first-team squad following reports Chelsea offered him to Aston Villa in an attempt to offload their player.

Sterling is yet to have potential suitors come forward with offers but a dream scenario could see him join United with Jadon Sancho – who has struggled to strike a rapport with boss Erik ten Hag – moving in the opposite direction amid rumours Chelsea are interested in a deal.

Sterling, 29, has been stunned to find himself on the outskirts in west London, while Sancho’s fallout with Ten Hag last season was well-documented. And there’s evidence to suggest the ex-Manchester City star Sterling would be in favour of a move to the red half of the city – though there is no suggestion of interest at present.

“I shouldn’t really say this – not now, definitely not now! – but when I was young I was a massive United fan,” he told The Mirror in 2019. “I had an old United kit, from when they won the last FA Cup. I was at the final in 2007.”

Sterling has seemingly been written off by Maresca just as the new campaign gets underway, with a wave of new arrivals creating even greater competition at Chelsea. The Blues had plenty of wide options including Cole Palmer, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke and Christopher Nkunku but the arrivals of Pedro Neto and Joao Felix have intensified the battle all the more.

Having fallen victim to competition for places, Sterling will no doubt want a greater role in the next team he joins. So, a swap deal with Sancho would be a dreamy scenario given it could see him join the club he supported as a kid while also seeing a potential rival for minutes leave.

Sterling’s chances of starting would be further aided if the Red Devils were to also part ways with Antony, who has failed to set the world alight in England. Ten Hag pushed to sign his former Ajax charge in the summer of 2022, but a dismal return of 11 goals and five assists in 82 games for United has seen his stock plummet.

The Brazil international has been linked with a move away on loan this summer, but finding a club willing to stump up even half of his £200,000-a-week wages may prove difficult. Sancho, who was loaned to Borussia Dortmund last winter, is more likely to leave this summer but United would still be left with solid options if Sterling signed and Antony also departed.

In that scenario, United would have Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, Sterling and Amad to choose from in their wide positions.

Antony’s agent, meanwhile, told journalist Fabrizio Romano earlier this summer that the Brazilian has no intentions of leaving. He said: “I see reports about a potential exit on loan. Antony’s plan is clear: Manchester United. He wants to stay, he’s only focused on Man United. We already spoke about that with the club.”

It may also help a potential swap deal along that Sancho has confessed to being a Blues supporter in the past. And he once named two Chelsea icons as some of his heroes growing up.

“I’d probably say Frank Lampard,” he told talkSPORT in 2021 when asked which players inspired him as a youth. “I was a Chelsea fan growing up, I can’t lie. Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard were my favourite players at the time.”