Chelsea reaching its limit on Sterling should send a message to other suitors

Chelsea reaching its limit on Sterling should send a message to other suitors

Leave it to Chelsea to be the club to show a shred of sanity on this Raheem Sterling saga.

Yeah, we didn’t expect it, either.

If you missed it, the Blues reportedly won’t meet Liverpool’s lunatic fringe asking price for Raheem Sterling. They see $60 million as the ceiling for the freewheeling Reds youngster, according to Sky Sports.

[ MORE: PST Extra talks Sterling ]

Liverpool wants close to $80 million for their 20-year-old Jamaican-English playmaker. The Merseyside club had already turned down a $60 million bid from Manchester City for Sterling, which means Chelsea has effectively ruled itself out of the sweepstakes.

And I applaud them.

This feels crazy to say, given that Chelsea spent close to $80 million on Fernando Torres, but its refusal to spend any more on Sterling should be a sign for City, or whoever else is interested in paying big dollars for the 20-year-old.

You see, the Blues have been pretty smart in their dealings, and spent $50 million on Diego Costa. In fact, the following players all cost Chelsea $50 million or less, and tell me you’d rather have Sterling for an $80 million fee than, in addition to Costa:

Eden Hazard (2012, ~$50 million)

Cesc Fabregas (2014, ~43 million)

Willian (2013, ~40 million)

Oscar (2012, ~39 million)

All four of those players have done well enough at Stamford Bridge. Yeah, Oscar has been frustrating at times and Willian’s production is hard to quantify, but Chelsea’s titles have come with those players playing big roles.

Look, it’s all funny money to many of these teams — don’t tell that to Parma — but suffice it to say Liverpool is going to reap the rewards of someone’s insanity. And the fact that it won’t be Chelsea should be a bit of a clue that Sterlingmania is a little, if not a lot, out of control.

And by the way, the guy apparently not only can’t stop huffing nitrous oxide, he can’t stop getting caught doing it… on camera. And his agent is nuts.

Yes, he’s entitled to ask for a raise. Yes, he’s young and English and that means Premier League teams are ready to load up the armored cars.

But want to risk $80 million on him? No thanks.