Napoli’s Giovanni Manna Discusses Challenges in Pursuing Raheem Sterling

omidbasir- Giovanni Manna, the sporting director of Napoli, recently addressed the potential challenges in acquiring Raheem Sterling, citing the forward’s “significant financial expectations” as a possible obstacle to finalizing a deal.

Sterling became a free agent on Wednesday after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract with Chelsea. This conclusion marks the end of a challenging three-and-a-half-year period at the club, during which he made 81 appearances and netted 19 goals.

His last match for Chelsea occurred in May 2024, and he spent the 2025-26 season on loan at Arsenal. Notably, his final competitive appearance was during the Gunners’ match against Southampton on the last day of the season.

“Raheem is a talented player; however, he has not been actively playing for a significant duration,” Manna shared in an interview with Sky Italia on Wednesday. “We had discussions with him over the summer, but the situation appears to be difficult at present due to his financial expectations.”

Sources from ESPN indicated that both West Ham and Fulham had shown interest in signing Sterling earlier in the month.

In a related note, Chelsea secured their place in the round of 16 by defeating Napoli 3-2 in Italy, eliminating the reigning Serie A champions from the competition.