Chelsea star to Rangers transfer suggestion leaves pundit stunned as he counters with Celtic alternative

Jeff Stelling couldn’t even get to the end of a sentence suggesting Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling to Rangers - but he’s put forward a Celtic alternative.

The legendary broadcaster and Ibrox icon Ally McCoist were teamed up on the talkSPORT Breakfast show as talk of the England international cropped up. Prior to a 2-0 Chelsea defeat to Man City on Sunday, Sterling's representatives demanded "clarity" over his future after he was left out of the squad.

One caller got in touch to make a tongue-in-cheek shout for Rangers to be his next club. Stelling wasn’t prepared to have that but did wonder if Brendan Rodgers could be temped to bring a man he worked with at Liverpool to Celtic.

Speaking on Sterling, Stelling said “Raheem Sterling should sign for Rangers...I'm not going to read the rest of this, but what about Celtic?" And McCoist responded with “Brendan knows him, but I think he'd see it as a step down. I don't think so - I think if he's leaving the country, he's going to Saudi Arabia."

A statement from the Chelsea forward’s representatives stated: "He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training, and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with.

"He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.

"As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation. Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s desire to start the new season positively."