Manager Antonio Conte expects Nemanja Matic to still be a Chelsea player at the end of the transfer window – and has also told Bertrand Traore he definitely has a future at the club.
Midfielder Matic is a huge target for Conte's former club Juventus – so much so that the Italian giants are willing to offer striker Simone Zaza to sweeten the deal.
Striker Traore, meanwhile, today saw his season-long loan to Dutch side Ajax rubber-stamped by the Stamford Bridge side.
Conte said: “Nemanja is an important player for me, he knows this. There isn't a problem with him. He was a Chelsea player, and is a Chelsea's player.
“(Traore is) confirmed, gone through. Traore is going on loan to Ajax, but he's a good player, a good prospect for us.”
Chelsea's own spending has been relatively prudent this summer, splashing out just £60million on Marseille striker Michy Batshuyai and Leicester midfielder N'Golo Kante.
Conte, who is believed to want to add at least four new faces before the end of August, refused to comment further on potential incomings, but wryly noted that the transfer market, which Chelsea used to regularly blow out of the water, has become inflated even by their standards.
He added: “I speak with the club, we have a plan, we know the market is very crazy. We must be patient to find the right solutions for the team, I speak every day with the club to find the right solution, to improve the squad.
“Every single club has their policy and own idea. I think Chelsea is waiting, at this moment it's not easy for us. It's a crazy transfer market, not just for Chelsea but in general. When you try to buy another player the cost is very very expensive, it's not the real situation of the player.”
