Enzo Maresca explains why he’s selling ‘unbelievable’ Chelsea star for just £36m | Football

Enzo Maresca has explained his decision to unload one Chelsea star, with the club set to make a loss on the ‘unbelievable’ player.

Chelsea have been very busy this summer transfer window, with the upcoming arrival of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United set to bring their total outlay to £282million.

However the Blues have also done a sterling job with selling players, banking £239m to date, a number that is about to rise before Monday’s deadline day with several bomb-squad stars still on their books.

In the previous couple of days a deal value £36m plus a sell-on clause has been agreed with AC Milan for out-of-favour forward Christopher Nkunku.

The 27-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge from RB Leipzig just two years ago in a much-anticipated £52m transfer, however the move never worked out for the France international.

He missed just about all of his debut season through injury and when he got back to full fitness he was kept out of the starting XI by Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson.

The arrival of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap has seem him fall further down the pecking order and he was ignored of Chelsea’s opening two games of the brand new season.

After handing him just nine Premier League starts last season and after months of transfer speculation, one may very well be forgiven for considering Maresca just desired to see the back of Nkunku.

But speaking in his press conference ahead of Saturday’s clash against Fulham, the pinnacle coach praised the forward and backed him for achievement in Milan.

‘Christo is a unbelievable skilled, initially. With us he was very skilled, training thoroughly,’ Maresca said.

‘The one problem with Christo has been that in his position there was one other player like Cole, so it was difficult for him to get minutes.

‘But they will expect unbelievable things, initially because he could be very skilled, and second because he’s a excellent player.’

Maresca had less positive news in regards to the other members of Chelsea’s bomb-squad like Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell and Nicolas Jackson, whose banishment from first-team training could proceed after the window closes.

‘No idea for the time being,’ the Italian replied when asked what would occur to the players in the event that they don’t secure a transfer exit in the following 4 days.

‘I don’t know. You understand that they aren’t even with us. They’re training at a special time, with a special pitch. So I don’t have any idea.

‘We’ll see. When the window closes, we’ll see and we’ll determine.’

Maresca also confirmed the long-awaited signing of Garnacho who joins the Blues after being exiled at United by Ruben Amorim, adding: ‘I do know that he’s around here. I don’t know exactly where he’s, but he’s around here.

‘After which he’s a player that is kind of clear in his position. He’s a winger. And I see him as a winger.’

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