Sterling signed a five-year £325,000-per-week contract in 2022, relocating his young family in the process.
The £47.5m transfer was a statement of intent by Todd Boehly, who at the time was acting as sporting director, and Clearlake Capital.
However, the people behind the deal are no longer in charge at the club.
In addition to Boehly’s diminishing influence, Thomas Tuchel was the head coach who oversaw Sterling’s arrival.
Then came Graham Potter, then Frank Lampard, and then Mauricio Pochettino, all within Sterling’s first two seasons at the club, in which he played 81 times and scored 19 times as Chelsea finished 12th and then sixth.
But two years into his contract Chelsea effectively ended his role as a first-team player when new manager Enzo Maresca decided Sterling was not in his plans.
He did not play for the club again and spent last season on an underwhelming loan at Arsenal.