Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has refused to rule out selling Cesc Fabregas in January, but has again insisted the Spanish midfielder remains part of his plans.
Fabregas, 29, has only started two Premier League matches so far this season, and has been linked with a number of European clubs in recent weeks.
But Conte praised Fabregas for his recent contributions in the wins over Manchester City and West Brom and said he expected the former Barcelona man to stay at Stamford Bridge.
Asked if he could give a guarantee that Fabregas would still be at Chelsea at the end of January, Conte said: “In football it is very difficult to always guarantee something, but in my opinion Cesc is an important player for us.
“He played a key match against Manchester City, and in the last game he came on very well.
“Cesc is always a good choice for me and I repeat, Cesc is an important player and he is in the squad. Now, this is the reality.”
This post was last modified on 13/12/2016