THIAGO SILVA leads the list of Chelsea players departing the club ahead of Enzo Maresca’s arrival.
Before Mauricio Pochettino left, the Brazilian legend confirmed he would call time in West London after four years with the Blues.
Silva, who will return to Fluminense as a free agent, joins Josh Brooking and Noah Hay in leaving Chelsea.
Despite retaining most of his squad, incoming new Blues boss Maresca does face departures this summer.
The futures of centre-back Trevoh Chalobah and Conor Gallagher remain in doubt as Chelsea look to balance their books.
Chalobah has been linked with the likes of Manchester United and as the Blues close in on the signing of Tosin Adarabioyo on a free from Fulham.
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Meanwhile, Chelsea are believed to been keen on keeping Gallagher but Aston Villa are understood to have opened talks to sign him.
Chelsea start life under their new boss against League Two Wimbledon in July.
The two clubs have arranged a pre-season friendly at The Dons’ Plough Lane ground in South West London.
Relations between the two neighbours remain close after Chelsea’s women’s team moved into Wimbledon’s former Kingsmeadow Stadium in 2020.
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Meet Pep Guardiola disciple Enzo Maresca
ENZO MARESCA is considered among the most exciting young coaches on the planet.
Born in Italy in 1980, he managed to guide Leicester to the Championship title in his first season as Foxes boss.
His management career started at Italian minnows Ascoli before he was snapped up by Man City in 2020 to manage their Elite Development Squad.
He guided the youth team to the Premier League 2 title in his one season working for the Citizens – with Cole Palmer in the side.
His first senior job was with Parma but he was sacked after just a few months after failing to impress.
Despite the team playing in Serie B and Maresca having an impressive squad he was unable to get them on course for promotion.
He returned to Man City and worked as one of Pep Guardiola’s assistants for the 2022/23 season as they won the Treble.
He took over relegated Leicester last summer and made an immediate impact, with the Foxes winning the Championship title.
Maresca showed his dedication to the job by living at the training ground for the first two months after his appointment.
He’s considered something of a Pep disciple and has said: “For a coach, it’s important to have the mentality of a chess player.”
During his playing career he played under Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi – and alongside ex-Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi.
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The Premier League team is also embarking on a five-match tour of the United States between July 24 & 26.
They will play Wrexham, Celtic, Club America , Manchester City and Real Madrid on the tour.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
