Chelsea believe appointing Sarri will help keep trio, Sun say

Chelsea believe that appointing Maurizio Sarri will help keep Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Willian at Stamford Bridge, according to The Sun.

Former Napoli boss Sarri is widely expected to replace Antonio Conte as Chelsea manager.

And The Sun say the Blues believe Sarri’s arrival means Hazard, Courtois and Willian are more likely to stay.

Keeper Courtois and his fellow Belgian Hazard have both been linked with Real Madrid, while Willian has had an uneasy relationship with Conte and is the subject of interest from Manchester United and reportedly Barcelona.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said on Wednesday that his club and Chelsea were close to reaching an agreement over a compensation fee for Sarri, which would pave the way for him to take over at the Bridge.

Sarri has been replaced at the Serie A club by former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti but remains under contract.

De Laurentiis was quoted as saying: “Sarri is close to being new Chelsea manager. My lawyers are in talks with his lawyers to finalise everything.”