Raheem Sterling joins Feyenoord until end of season
The England international has been without a club since leaving Chelsea by mutual consent in January
Raheem Sterling has joined Dutch club Feyenoord on a deal until the end of the season.
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The England international has been without a club since leaving Chelsea by mutual consent in January.
The winger, 31, has received multiple offers since he left Stamford Bridge, but has decided to link up with former Manchester United and Arsenal striker Robin van Persie at one of Holland's biggest clubs.
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"As a free agent, I've had, for the first time in a long time, the opportunity to control the next step," he said.
"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."
Feyenoord are currently second in Eredivisie, 17 points behind league leaders PSV.
Discussing his new signing, 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."
Sources suggest around 18 clubs in England and Europe had wanted to sign Sterling, who had agreed a settlement package over the final 18 months of his Chelsea contract, worth in excess of £300,000-per-week.
It brought to an end his miserable time at the West London club, where he had not played a game this season having be cast out by former manager Enzo Maresca.
He was also sent on loan to Arsenal last season, where he managed only one goal in 28 games.
Sterling is said to have chosen Feyenoord to help them achieve Champions League qualification and because of Van Persie's vision for his role in the team.
He will hope to a move to Netherlands will revitalise his career and bring back the form he showed whilst placing for Manchester City.
In his seven years at the Etihad Stadium, the forward scored 131 goals in 339 games and won four Premier League titles, five EFL cups and an FA Cup.