Blues boss explains why Ramires was allowed to leave

Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink says Ramires was given the opportunity to sign a big-money contract in China as a reward for his previous performances at Stamford Bridge.

The Brazilian midfielder, who famously scored in the 2012 Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona in the Nou Camp, this week completed a move to Jiangsu Suning.

Ramires had been at Chelsea since 2010 and only signed a new four-year contract in October, but had been out of favour since Hiddink’s arrival last month.

Hiddink admitted the deal on the table from Jiangsu Suning was “huge”, with the Chinese club paying Chelsea a fee of around £25m.

He added: “Ramires had very good performances in the past, with important contributions.

“He is 28 and had this huge offer from a club in China. The club talked about that and [decided to] give him what he could get in China.

“He was not playing frequently but the club had the attitude to reward him and give him this beautiful transfer.”

Several European clubs had enquired about Ramires before he agreed a new deal at Stamford Bridge and seemingly committed his long-term future to the Blues.

He was signed by Chelsea from Benfica for £19m and made 247 appearances for the club.

Meanwhile, Hiddink revealed that he has held talks with Gary Cahill about the defender’s future role at the club.