Soccer-Sterling joins Feyenoord until end of season

Former Chelsea and Manchester City winger ​Raheem Sterling has joined ​Feyenoord until the end ‌of the ​season, the Dutch club said on Thursday. Sterling, who joined Chelsea from Manchester City in a ‌deal worth 50 million pounds ($68.07 million) in July 2022, left Stamford Bridge last month after being frozen out of the squad.

"As a free agent, ‌I've had, for the first time in a long time, the ‌opportunity to control the next step," Sterling said in a statement. "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."

Feyenoord ⁠are second in the Dutch league but trail leaders PSV Eindhoven by 17 ​points. They play Go Ahead Eagles on Sunday. Feyenoord manager Robin van ⁠Persie said Sterling would be a real asset in the latter stages of the ⁠season.

"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," he added. ($1 = 0.7345 ‌pounds)