In the last week, stories have emerged that Bayern Munich made a late attempt to get Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling before the summer transfer window deadline.
However, Sterling passed on the opportunity because he did not want to uproot his family per Simon Johnson of The Athletic (via @iMiaSanMia):
Bayern made a late attempt this summer to convince Raheem Sterling to join them, which is not that surprising given that Sterling’s former Manchester City teammate – Vincent Kompany – is the head coach. A move
for Sterling was raised during discussions with Chelsea over the loan deal for Nicolas Jackson.
Some will inevitably question how Sterling can say no to a club that will provide a great opportunity to compete for major honours. But sources close to Sterling point out that he was reluctant to move his family to Germany, or be away from them, for what could be nine months, especially with little guarantee of featuring regularly.
That kind of move is never seamless or easy for a player and his or her family. It should also be noted that without playing time guaranteed, it might have been a hard-sell to most established veterans.
