David Luiz Keen To Stay At Chelsea On One Condition

 

 

David Luiz believes his Chelsea future is brighter if Antonio Conte leaves the club in the summer, Goal understands, with the Italian manager widely expected to depart. 

 

Conte has repeatedly insisted that his relationship with Luiz is fine, despite dropping him for Andreas Christensen in October after the Brazilian struggled in both Champions League matches against Roma.

 

Luiz's future remains open but there is concern about his lack of opportunities under Conte after making just four starts since he was first dropped for Manchester United's visit to Stamford Bridge on November 5. 

 

His last appearance was in the 4-1 defeat by Watford on February 5, when he struggled physically against the Hornets' powerful striker Troy Deeney.

The 30-year-old has been out with a knee injury ever since and has made at least one visit to Barcelona to see a specialist about the issue, which flared up after Sergio Aguero's red-card tackle on him last season. 

 

Luiz is likely to be out for up to another month, although he is targeting a return to the matchday squad for the game against Tottenham on April 1. 

 

The Chelsea hierarchy are fans of Luiz and see him as an important figure at the club after his success winning four major honours over his two spells at Stamford Bridge, most notably the Champions League success of 2012. 

 

Meanwhile, Conte has been the subject of renewed links with Paris Saint-Germain, who are already out of the Champions League despite their summer of big spending.

 

Conte has already pledged to see out his Chelsea contract, which runs until 2019, but contingency plans are in place with a belief among the football community that he is considering his options. 

 

The Chelsea head coach's main complaints have been over a lack of backing in the transfer market, as he has failed to hide his frustration over the business conducted by the west London club.