Raheem Sterling has joined Feyenoord on a short-term deal until the end of the season following his exit from Chelsea.
Sterling on Thursday afternoon signed a contract with the Dutch giants following talks with their manager Robin van Persie, the former Arsenal and Manchester United striker, which were significant in his decision to join the club.
It comes after an agreement was reached last month for Sterling’s contract at Chelsea to be terminated 18 months early by mutual consent. He was on a £325,000-a-week deal as Chelsea’s highest earner yet had been exiled from the Blues’ first-team squad.
There has been significant interest in Sterling since he became a free agent, but he is now heading to the Netherlands.
West Ham were one of a number of English clubs who had an interest in signing the player on loan from Chelsea in January, before he departed Stamford Bridge.
Standard Sport understands that Feyenoord wanted Sterling to sign on a longer-term deal but the 31-year-old wanted to keep his options open beyond the summer.
The former Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal winger earned 82 caps for England in a 10-year international career between 2012 and 2022.
Sterling said: “As a free agent, I've had, for the first time in a long time, the opportunity to control the next step in my career.
“I wanted to take my time to speak with clubs and their head coaches to better understand the role they envisioned for me and ensure that I can add real value in this next chapter.
“Having spoken in great detail with Robin, I'm confident that Feyenoord is a place I can be happy and establish myself as a valued member of the team. Playing abroad is a whole new challenge for me - and one I’m ready to embrace.
“Honestly, I’m just excited to get started. To Feyenoord and particularly Robin and Dennis [Te Kloese, technical director], thank you for your patience and professionalism as I navigated this process.”
Feyenoord head coach Van Persie said: “Naturally it’s a fantastic feat that we’ve managed to convince a player of Raheem’s calibre to sign with us.
“His football resume speaks for itself: he’s a player whose qualities can change the outcome of a game without a doubt, and I am convinced he will turn out to be a valuable addition to the team as we work towards achieving our goals in the second half of this season.”
© The Standard Ltd