Chelsea rule out Nemanja Matic sale
New Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has ruled out the possibility of selling Nemanja Matic amidst speculation that the Serbian could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge.
After Conte signed N’Golo Kante, there was talk that Matic could leave the club and that Juventus were keen on him but the Chelsea boss says that Matic is an “important” player for him.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s pre-season clash with Liverpool in the USA, Conte spoke of the high regard in which he holds the Serbian.
As reported by Sky Sports, he said:
Matic is an important player for me, a very important player. In my idea of football he is an important player and he knows this.
One of the main reasons why Matic was linked with a move away from the Bridge was because of the number of midfield options Conte has at his disposal, but the Italian claims that he will need all of his players as he looks to get Chelsea fighting back at the top of the Premier League table after a disappointing 2015/16 season.
N’Golo, Nemanja, Cesc [Fabregas], Oscar, [Nathaniel] Chalobah and [John Obi] Mikel, who is in the Olympics, it is not easy to choose. I want to have this problem.