Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca insists Raheem Sterling and the rest of his ‘bomb squad’ will not ‘get ANY minutes’ if they fail to find an exit before the transfer deadline

Enzo Maresca on Wednesday night warned Raheem Sterling that if he does leave Chelsea before the transfer window closes this Friday then he will not play a single minute under him.

In an extraordinary gauntlet thrown down to the 29-year-old England international and others training separately to his first-team squad including Ben Chilwell and Trevoh Chalobah, Maresca spelled out exactly where they stand with him.

Speaking to media in Geneva ahead of facing Servette in the Conference League on Thursday, Chelsea’s head coach said on Sterling: ‘My advice. He knows exactly what he has to do. He doesn’t need my advice. We’re going to see.

‘I prefer to be honest with the player. The ones who are not involved, they are all players who are not going to be involved and they don’t get any minutes in case they stay.

‘We will see who is here and who is not here. The only thing I can say is the ones who are going to get minutes are the ones who I think can help us.

Sterling has plummeted down the ranks and has even been stripped of his No 7 shirt at Chelsea

‘It’s not just Raheem. It’s all the players who in this moment are training apart. The moment the transfer window closes, they are not going to get minutes.’

Sources close to Sterling say they will not be forced into a move that does not suit them, adding there is as much chance of him staying as going as it stands.

Maresca was also asked about Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho, who could form one half of a swap deal with Sterling before the window closes. 

The 44-year-old Italian said Chelsea will not sign a player for the sake of it but added when quizzed on Sancho: ‘If we can sign a player who can help us, for sure I want. I know Jadon very well. But he is not our player. We will see what happens.’