RAHEEM STERLING is being lured to Serie A champions Napoli by Kevin de Bruyne.
The England winger quit Chelsea last week after having his contract terminated by mutual consent and is now seeking a fresh start.
Talks with Napoli are underway and Sterling is hoping to secure a reunion with his old team-mate in Italy.
De Bruyne and Sterling joined Manchester City at the same time in 2015 and the pair were together for seven years before the latter moved to Chelsea in 2022.
Sterling ,31, is prepared to lower his wage demands too in order to secure a move abroad and rejuvenate his career.
A move that suits his family is more of a priority and he is keen to reunite with De Bruyne, with whom he is close pals.
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Napoli’s sporting director Giovanni Manna spoke last week of the player’s ‘significant financial expectations’ that would make a deal ‘difficult’.
Last summer, Napoli tried to organise a loan for Sterling when he was earning around £325,000 a week.
That fell through but there is a chance it could be resurrected on lesser terms.
Sterling spent last season on loan at Arsenal who paid less than a third of his wages with Chelsea footing the bill for the rest.
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He was frozen out by previous boss Enzo Maresca as part of the club’s infamous ‘bomb squad’ of players who were surplus to requirements.
The four-times Premier League winner has not played a competitive game since May last year when he lasted just over an hour of Arsenal’s 2-1 away win over Southampton.
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