Mourinho makes it clear that David Luiz is not for sale

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has made it clear that midfielder David Luiz is not for sale, and that the Brazilian is very much a part of his future team plans .

There have been reports that Barcelona were keen to rope in David Luiz as a long term prospect to replace Carles Puyol, but Mourinho has said that the player will not be for sale regardless of the price that is offered.

“No chance he is going to leave. He is a player we want to keep. He is a player with four years (on his) contract, he just signed a contract last year,” said Mourinho, reported HITC Sport.

“We like him. He is an important player and the club is not ready to sell him for any price.”

There were reports which suggested that Luiz was interested in a shift to Barcelona and had spoken regarding it to the media, but Mourinho denied having any knowledge on such rumours.

“I don’t know if he said that. What I can say is that he is not going to.

“The last quotes I read were Luiz saying he is not speaking about clubs when he is with the national team, which is a fantastic quote that I appreciate. That is the last quote I have and it is an intelligent one.”

With Branislav Ivanovic being used as a full back and Luiz playing in the midfield, there were suggestions that Chelsea could have used another defender in their ranks.

It will be an interesting to see which position is offered to Luiz this season as there does not appear to be a clear first choice, for defensive midfielder. The fitness of Jon Obi Mikel and Michael Essien are also yet to be proven.

Luiz will be a key player in defence for Chelsea this season and his ability as a provider in midfield will also be of immense importance to the club. Jose Mourinho’s stance is a clear indication of the players value to the team.