Chelsea Manager Antonio Conte Rules Out Move for Juventus's Giorgio Chiellini
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has ruled out a January move for Juventus' veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini, but has hinted that forgotten man David Luiz could leave the club if he is able to find a suitable replacement.
The Blues have been linked with a move for Chiellini, which could see the Italian reunited with Conte - who managed the robust defender twice with Juventus and on the international stage with Italy. Speaking ahead of the Blues' clash with Arsenal, via Goal, Conte gave broke his silence on the potential deal.
"No, no [we're not interested] - I must be honest," he insisted.
"Giorgio is a fantastic player but I think he wants to finish his career at Juventus and I think it's right to finish his career in this way."
When quizzed on the future of Luiz, Conte was more guarded in his answer, but did reveal that he understood certain members of the team were after more regular football. The former Juve boss said:
"I am very happy to work with these players and trust in these players. I don't see a problem but, at the same time, I understand that if some players are not playing with regularity [they want to move].
"My expectation is that all the players we have in the squad stay here and try to continue to work. Our squad is not big and for this reason it is impossible to send on loan or sell one player if we don't bring in one player."
Conte's comments hint at possible January comings-and-goings at Stamford Bridge in the new year, and Luiz may well move on to pastures new if a suitable replacement becomes available.
Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger finally broke his silence on speculation linking the Brazilian to the Emirates Stadium, but claimed that he had no plans to make a move for the £30m rated star.
