Raheem Sterling Suffers Fresh Transfer Blow as Two Ligue 1 Clubs Reject Him

Raheem Sterling's search for a new club has hit another snag, with reports saying at least two Ligue 1 sides have turned him down.

The 31-year-old winger is a free agent, and Foot Mercato says he was offered to Le Havre, who are bottom of the French top flight. The club felt they already had enough wide players and did not see the former Manchester City star as a needed signing. A second Ligue 1 team, which has not been named, was also approached by his representatives and gave the same answer.

It is a surprising turn for a player who was once among the most valuable in world football and a regular for England. His career has slipped since he left the Premier League. He moved from Manchester City to Chelsea in 2022, struggled for consistency at Stamford Bridge, and later spent time on loan at Arsenal, where he played 28 games and managed one goal and five assists. Chelsea and Sterling agreed to end his contract in January 2026, and he joined Feyenoord on a free transfer in February. That spell did not work out either, as he never won a regular starting spot in Rotterdam.

His problems off the pitch are not helping. Sterling recently pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and to having six canisters of nitrous oxide. The charges come from a crash in which his car reportedly hit a motorway security barrier. Nobody else was hurt, but he also admitted having the gas for wrongful inhalation and failing to give a specimen for analysis. Clubs may be wary of the baggage that comes with all that.

On the pitch, he has not scored in a competitive game since September 2024, which will worry scouts. That is a long way from the 320 Premier League games and 165 goal involvements he racked up at Liverpool and Manchester City. The four-time Premier League champion still wants a fresh start outside England, away from the glare of the British press.

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