West Ham could exploit a financial fair play loophole to sign an England star with 82 international caps.
Unlike many clubs in the Premier League, West Ham are in a relatively comfortable position when it comes to FFP (now called Profit and Sustainability Rules, or PSR).
However, the same cannot be said of their London rivals Chelsea.
Their scattergun approach to recruitment and a litany of commercial missteps have seen them post huge losses in recent years.
Now, that appears to finally be catching up with them.
West Ham could sign Raheem Sterling on FFP technicality
According to transfer specialist journalist Graeme Bailey speaking toHammers News, West Ham have been contacted by Chelsea regarding Raheem Sterling.
The West London club are desperate to get Sterling’s circa £325,000 per week wage off their books as they scramble to get within the Premier League‘s PSR threshold.
Significantly, Chelsea are one of six clubs who need to sell players before 30th June, when the Profit and Sustainability assessment window resets.
If they do choose to pursue the 29-year-old, West Ham would be foolish not to use this quirk of the PSR system in negotiations to secure a cut-price deal.
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How much can West Ham spend this summer?
West Ham were on a UEFA watchlist for clubs that could violate FFP as recently as two years ago.
However, they were one of only a handful of clubs to post a profit in 2021-22 and their losses of £12m means that, by the time they release their accounts for 2023-24, they will be operating at a profit.
With the Premier League not formally introducing its new squad cost control ratio but choosing instead to trial it on a shadow basis, West Ham’s allowable loss limit under FFP will remain at £105m.
Essentially, given that West Ham have broken even across the past three seasons, that means they have ample room for manoeuvre in the transfer market this summer.
That will be welcomed by new manager Julen Lopetegui, who is planning to sign eight players this summer.