John Terry’s dream Chelsea signing makes decision over January transfer

Former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has said his goodbyes at Fluminense and is hoping to join a club situated ‘as close as possible to London’.

Silva, widely regarded to be among the finest centre-backs of his generation, returned to Fluminense from Chelsea as a free agent 18 months ago, 15-and-a-half years after leaving his boyhood team.

The Brazilian departed Stamford Bridge as something of a cult figure amongst the fanbase after helping the club win the Champions League in 2021, as well as the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

But while Silva’s current contract with Fluminense is not due to expire until next summer, there is a strong chance he has played his final match for the Brazilian outfit.

Reports emanating out of Brazil earlier this week claimed Silva had bid farewell to his Fluminense team-mates in the dressing room after the side were denied a place in the Copa do Brasil final by Vasco da Gama.

Despite turning 41 in September, the veteran centre-half has not given up hope of representing Brazil at next year’s World Cup – and he is keen to continue playing at a high level to ensure this happens.

According to Globo Esporte, the distance between Silva and his family, who still live in London, has become a ‘burden’ that weighs increasingly heavy on the former PSG and AC Milan star.

Silva’s two sons are currently enrolled in Chelsea’s academy and his ‘idea is to play as close as possible’ to the English capital in order to be near his loved ones again.

The report claims Silva is ‘prioritising teams located closer to England or in neighbouring countries’, but ‘nothing is set in stone’ at this stage and the defender’s future is still up in the air.

A return to AC Milan – where Silva won the Serie A title in 2011 – has been mooted as a possibility in the Italian press.

John Terry, meanwhile, has encouraged Chelsea to put their policy of signing young players to one side and make an exception with Silva this January.

‘Thiago Silva is available. Listen to me, a man with great experience, a man with a great relationship with our football club,’ the ex-Chelsea and England captain said in a video on his TikTok page.

‘His two kids are in our academy, no doubt he’s going to be back in London with his family for Christmas I would love to see this man back at our football club, playing alongside these players.

‘I’m not saying he has to play every week with the experience he can bring playing next to someone like that probably goes back to my role in 2017 under Antonio Conte when we won the league.

‘I didn’t play but I had a role to play within the group.

‘Be that buffer between the players the manager, the owners and have that bit of experience.

‘Sometimes when you’re going through a tough spell or when you’re going through a good spell as well you know what to say and what to deliver and he certainly brings that as well.

‘Thiago Silva back to Chelsea would make everyone very happy, me included.’

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