Frank Lampard is happy to sanction the sale of David Luiz from Chelsea
Frank Lampard stopped David Luiz from training with Chelsea’s first team squad amid concerns the Brazilian was becoming a disruptive influence.
The 32-year-old was one of the few senior Chelsea players to advocate Maurizio Sarri being granted another season at Stamford Bridge after the divisive Italian masterminded Champions League qualification and Europa League success.
Despite Sarri’s dismissal, Luiz had spoken positively about the impact Lampard had made since his return to the club in a managerial capacity, but relations between the pair have deteriorated rapidly, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Luiz trained away from the rest of Chelsea’s first team stars ahead of the Premier League opener against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, with Lampard expected to select Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen at the heart of his defence.
The former PSG centre-half, Luiz, had featured prominently in pre-season but was said to have been concerned after he started last weekend’s friendly against Borussia Monchengladbach on the bench, believing his first team opportunities could be limited heading into the new campaign.
Lampard is reportedly happy to sanction the departure of his former teammate, even though he is unable to sign a replacement given Chelsea’s two window transfer ban.
Luiz, for his part, wants to join Arsenal and his former manager Unai Emery. His agent arrived in London last night to try and broker a deal.
David Luiz is hopeful of completing a transfer deadline day move to Arsenal
David Luiz is hopeful of completing a transfer deadline day move to Arsenal (Picture: Getty)
Emery has been desperate to reinforce his defence this summer and the need for a new centre-half was exacerbated by Laurent Koscielny’s move to Bordeaux on Tuesday.
Chelsea could demand as little as £8million for the two-time Premier League title winner, but a final decision on Luiz’s future and destination is likely to lie with director Marina Granovskaia.
The west London club are said to be shocked by Luiz’s conduct, especially in light of him signing a new two-year deal as recently as May.
No comments:
Post a Comment