A five-figure bet was placed on Daniel Sturridge joining Inter Milan on loan during the January transfer window earlier this year, which may have led to the current FA gambling investigation into the footballer.
The Telegraph are reporting that the bet was placed in the English Midlands by a man from "a modest background". Sturridge hails from the region, which led to suspicions from the bookmaker that the punter may have been trading off inside information.
Italian news outlet Corriere dello Sport would go on to report that Inter had agreed a deal to take Sturridge to Serie A, a full week after the bet had been placed. However, the striker would eventually move to West Brom instead.
The FA have refused to confirm whether this is the bet that is at the centre of the investigation, although the timeframe does match to the information the FA have made public.
They said that the investigation of the breach of gambling rules relates to an incident in January 2018, a time when this Sturridge-to-Inter bet was placed.
It had been thought that the England international's move to West Brom had been central to the investigation, with the transfer becoming official on January 29th. One of the charges levelled at the Sturridge mentions refers to "passing on information which can be used for betting purposes."
FA rules state that players are forbidden from betting on matters related to football, including transfers and managerial changes. They also must not pass on any inside information which will knowingly aid others in gambling ventures.
Daniel Sturridge has up until 6pm next Tuesday to respond to the charge. He has ardently denied ever being involved with betting in football, and has been fully cooperative with the FA inquiries into this matter thus far.
