Chelsea star decides shock move ahead of Stamford Bridge exit

The former Paris Saint-Germain star Thiago Silva is set to leave Chelsea this summer and has a verbal agreement to join Fluminense next season, a side who was previously with from 2006-2009.

The 39-year-old has decided to end his time at Stamford Bridge and according to reports from Goal, is on the verge of joining the Brazilian side ahead of the 2024/25 campaign. The defender, who has already reached the verbal agreement, will then officially sign for them once his current contract expires on 30 June.

Following Chelsea’s disappointing exit from the FA Cup on Saturday - which saw Manchester City win 1-0 - the ex-PSG star confirmed he had made a decision on his future but refrained from stating what that was. Speaking after the defeat, he said: “You are going to know in the coming days. I don’t want to say anything now after a defeat. I’m sad about the result, but sooner or later the news will come out. I do have a decision made in my mind but it’s not the moment to share it.

“It’s not an individual sport but my four years here were very good. Not that I didn’t believe in myself, but with my age and the intensity of this league, it’s rare to see players in a high level at 39. I don't like to talk about me, but you can see this. In the semi-final I was ready to play the extra-time! I can see I still have some years in me to keep enjoying football.”

Silva arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2020 following eight years with the Ligue 1 giants PSG in which he made over 200 league appearances. The Brazilian centre-back also has AC Milan, Dynamo Moscow and Porto on his CV as well as 113 appearances for his country.

Since joining Chelsea, the 39-year-old has won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and FIFa Club World Cup as well as coming twice runner-up in the FA Cup and EFL Cup. Chelsea currently sit ninth in the Premier League after a disappointing season and most recently suffered a 5-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates. Mauricio Pochettino’s side will now take on Aston Villa at Villa Park this Saturday.