Transfer talk: Conte tells Juventus target he’s staying at Chelsea; Sunderland bring in Manchester United player

Reuters

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has told Serbia midfielder Nemanja Matic he won’t be allowed to leave Stamford Bridge despite interest from Italian champions Juventus.

Reports in Italy claim Juventus are considering a bid for Matic as they look to replace Paul Pogba after the France star’s move to Manchester United.

Securing a world record fee of £89 million ($116m, 105m euros) for Pogba means Juve might have the cash to persuade Chelsea to sell a player who was disappointing last season.

But Conte, who arrived at Chelsea in July after finishing his role as Italy boss, has spoken to Matic about the situation and made it clear he has no intention of letting the 28-year-old go.

“Nemanja is an important player for me, and he knows this,” Conte told reporters at Chelsea’s training ground on Friday.

“There isn’t a problem with him. Nemanja was a Chelsea player and is a Chelsea player.”

Matic was one of numerous Chelsea players reported to have grown disillusioned with the hardline style of Jose Mourinho, a relationship breakdown that led to the Portuguese boss being sacked last December.

Even after Mourinho’s departure, Chelsea were still a shadow of the team that romped to the Premier League title in 2015 and Conte admitted he has been trying to find out what went wrong during their dismal 10th-place finish.

“I speak a lot with my players, all my players. Usually when you arrive at a new club it’s important to get to know the players, all the aspects,” the former Juventus manager said.

“It’s important to speak with all the players, to understand, to listen, why the last season was so bad.

“Because for the coach, for the first time arriving it’s important to go inside, into the head of the players to understand and solve the situation.

“It is important to find the right confidence. This team lost their confidence a bit last season, but two years ago they won the title. “

Aston Villa bring over defender from West Brom

Aston Villa have signed Wales defender James Chester from West Bromwich Albion on a four-year contract, both clubs said on Friday.

The 27-year-old, who has moved for an undisclosed fee, shone for Wales during the European Championships, featuring in every one of their matches as they reached the semi-finals.

He made 13 appearances for West Bromwich last season and now drops down a division for the Championship campaign of their Midlands neighbours.

“He had a fantastic time at the Euros and he obviously wanted to play first team football on a regular basis,” Albion coach Tony Pulis told his club’s website.

“We had a man-to-man chat about things and this deal suits everyone.”

Chester began his career at Manchester United, leaving the club in 2011 to sign for Hull City before moving to The Hawthorns in July 2015.

Sunderland signs Januzaj on loan from Man United

Sunderland manager David Moyes has signed a third Manchester United player in the space of 24 hours, bringing in winger Adnan Januzaj on a season-long loan.

Moyes, who coached United for 10 months in the 2013-14 season, signed Donald Love and Paddy McNair on Thursday on permanent transfers.

Sunderland announced the arrival of the 21-year-old Januzaj on Friday, the day before the new Premier League season begins. Januzaj was signed in time to be available for Sunderland’s game against Manchester City on Saturday.

Leitner now with Dortmund

German midfielder Moritz Leitner has completed his move from Borussia Dortmund to Italian side Lazio for an undisclosed fee, both clubs announced on Friday.

The 23-year-old joined Dortmund in 2011 from 1860 Munich but struggled to nail down a first-team place and spent time on loan at both Augsburg and VfB Stuttgart.

Last season Leitner only made eight Bundesliga appearances and was dropped to the reserves.

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