Chelsea bagged a 2-0 win over Brazilian side Fluminense in the semifinals of the Club World Cup on July 8.
Amid their triumph in the competition so far, one of the Blues’ stars, Noni Madueke, has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal this summer.
Madueke arrived at Stamford Bridge from PSV Eindhoven in 2023, and his current contract with Chelsea is valid until the summer of 2030.
With reports suggesting Madueke can be potentially seen on the dugout of the Emirates Stadium in the upcoming season, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has shared his thoughts on the Englishman’s future at the club.
Speaking to the press ahead of Chelsea’s semifinal clash against Fluminense, Maresca stated that he has no doubts over Madueke’s abilities to contribute to the Blues.
However, the Italian manager also addressed the ‘noise’ surrounding Madueke in the transfer window, referring to it as ‘difficult to deal with.’
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“[We had] the same noise before the Palmeiras game, and we gave him half an hour and he was very good. I don’t have any doubts that if we need Noni, he will help us. I can understand when there is noise around you, it is difficult to deal with that,” as per Sky Sports.
Will Chelsea’s Noni Madueke join Arsenal this summer?
While Maresca has given his verdict on the situation, reports linking Madueke with a potential transfer to Arsenal continue to surface.
A recent report from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has suggested that Arsenal will be reaching out to Chelsea to sign Madueke, and with a ‘gap in valuation’ between the Premier League giants, negotiations are also anticipated to follow to finalize the deal.
The aforementioned report also stated that Madueke has agreed to a five-year contract with Arsenal.
Chelsea are now headed to the Club World Cup final, slated for July 13 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The Blues’ opponents will be decided after the semifinal clash between PSG and Real Madrid on July 9.
Madueke has featured in five out of the six Club World Cup games Chelsea has played so far and is yet to make a goal contribution in the competition.
