New Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri refused to be drawn into a long, detailed discussion on Wednesday about the futures of Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois, but the little bit that he did say provided a bit of clarity. Both players have been strongly targeted by Real Madrid this summer, but both are apparently staying put at Chelsea.
The Belgian duo are currently enjoying the final days of their extended post World Cup vacations, after helping lead the national side to a historic third place finish. Sarri says the duo will be reporting to Chelsea training camp on Saturday.
“I will see them on Saturday for the first time, so I don’t know the situation in this moment,” Sarri said after Chelsea shootout loss to Arsenal in an International Champions Cup friendly held in Dublin, Ireland.
“There is no news.”
If you’re a Chelsea fan, no news is good news, as the saying goes.
Madrid are running out of time to try and complete their double swoop (or to sign the goalkeeper or the forward for that matter). For Hazard and Courtois, the season will be here before you know it.
The Blues take on Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday, with the Premier League curtain raiser against Huddersfield Town coming on August 11. The transfer window closes a week from today, although English teams will still be able to sell players up until August 31. It is widely believed that Chelsea will not sell Courtois unless they can secure a suitable replacement.
They only have until August 9 to do so.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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