Chelsea: Brazilian up for sale; Terry latest; Keane discusses speculation

By Sam Leveridge

The Daily Star report that Brazilian attacking midfielder Oscar could be one of the first casualties of the Antonio Conte regime as AC Milan prepare a rumoured £39 million bid, which the Italian boss would happily accept as he remains unconvinced by the attacker, who was linked with a move to Juventus in the summer. The 25-year-old has started five of Chelsea’s six Premier League games to date, so the news may come as a surprise.

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However, Conte does not see how Oscar would fit into his preferred 3-5-2 formation which he is hoping to implement at Stamford Bridge in the near future. The former Juve boss has struggled to adapt the style so far given the players available to him, but he sees the sale of Oscar as one step towards building his ideal side in London after some frustrating performances and results up against the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea in recent weeks have made life difficult for the Italian already.

The Blues boss will be boosted though by the news in the Mirror that his captain John Terry is nearing a return to action and should be available for action against Hull City this weekend. It’s a massive relief for the club given that a makeshift partnership of David Luiz and Gary Cahill has conceded seven goals in just three games since the former England captain pulled up with an ankle injury late on in the draw against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.

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Luiz and Cahill have struggled at times, with Cahill becoming the play with the highest number of individual errors leading to goals after gifting a goal to Alexis Sanchez at the Emirates at the weekend. Terry’s experience and composure will be welcome back at the heart of the Blues defence, though it remains unclear which of the pairing is likely to be dropped at the expense of Terry’s return as travel to the KC Stadium to face the Tigers on the back of their thrashing at Anfield over the weekend, with both sides keen to make a statement after disappointing results last weekend.

This injury may well be a sign of things to come as the centre-back nears the end of his career and the club is actively looking for a long term replacement for their captain. As speculation has resurfaced linking former Manchester United defender Michael Keane with a move to London, the Burnley defender has spoken out about reports linking him to Chelsea and Leicester, saying:

“It’s flattering when teams like Leicester come in but I am really happy here… The fans have been brilliant with me here, as have the manager and players. It’s great when teams like that come in but I am quite happy… Hopefully at some time in the future I will get to that level anyway.”

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Keane has been in fine form this season for the Turf Moor club and has shown that he is capable of playing at Premier League level, and would also meet the home-grown criteria which is becoming increasingly valuable for many top clubs in Europe.

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