- Antonio Conte has suggested Chelsea could let players go this January
- The Italian responded to questions over David Luiz and Michy Batshuayi
- Luiz has been linked with Arsenal and Manchester United in recent times
- READ MORE: Chelsea stepping up pursuit of €35m South American star, will double €7.5m salary
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has confirmed he would be prepared to let unhappy players go this January after responding to questions over David Luiz and Michy Batshuayi.
The pair have not been regulars for the Blues this season and look to face some uncertainty over their long-term futures at Stamford Bridge this winter.
Conte says he does not intend to keep unhappy players and admits he understands that the likes of Luiz and Batshuayi might want to play more often to ensure they’re in contention to play for their countries at this summer’s World Cup.
This could be good news for Arsenal and Manchester United regarding Luiz, with recent speculation linking the Brazil international with both clubs.
The Daily Express linked Luiz with United back in November, while a recent update from the Express suggested Arsenal were now favourites for his signature.
The 30-year-old shone for Chelsea last season and could be a fine signing for any top side, and Conte appears to have given him the green light to move on this January.
MORE: Chelsea FC transfer news
‘I was a player, I will understand if someone is worried about the World Cup,’ Conte is quoted in the Telegraph.
‘I understand it’s very important to keep players very happy to stay here to work with us and I think this must be our priority. To keep the players happy to stay with us, to continue to work with us.
‘At the same time, I was a player and I will understand if someone is thinking in this way (that they need to play more).
‘I prefer to have players very happy to stay here than to have players that are unhappy because when you are unhappy you transfer this to the other players, to me, to my staff and I don’t like this. If we can avoid this, I’d like to avoid this situation.’