Arsenal are in talks with Chelsea over a loan deal for Raheem Sterling, multiple reports have claimed.

The Blues have been looking to offload the winger after he was deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge – the club have even reassigned his squad number to summer signing Pedro Neto.

The likes of Aston Villa and Crystal Palace were linked with swoops for Sterling earlier this week, but concrete offers did not arrive.

Speculation regarding a potential switch to Arsenal first emerged on the morning of deadline day, and with hours to go until the window shuts, negotiations are progressing.

It has been widely reported that the Gunners are hoping to take Sterling on loan for the 2024/25 season, and though there is still work to be done regarding his hefty wage packet, there is optimism a deal can be completed before the 11pm deadline. Sterling notably worked under Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta when he was an assistant at Manchester City.

Arsenal went into the summer window with onlookers expecting them to strengthen their forward line, but their two marquee signings so far have come further back down the pitch, acquiring Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori and Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino, while goalkeeper David Raya’s loan from Brentford was made permanent.

Chelsea are hoping to fill Sterling’s void with an initial loan for Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho, with talks over that deal also expected to go to the wire.

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