Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has insisted that he doesn't expect to striker Armando Broja to leave during summer transfer window - despite leaving the Blues' pre-season training camp.
The 20-year-old burst onto the scene last season, scoring six goals for Southampton on loan St Mary's. Now back at Stamford Bridge, Broja is tipped to leave on a permanent basis after West Ham United upped their bid to £30million. Having offered an initial £25m amid competition from Newcastle, the Irons are said to be confident over securing the Slough-born Albania international's signature.
But Tuchel has quashed the claims surrounding his exit, revealing the reason why Broja has left Chelsea's tour of the United States early. "I don't expect him to leave," the Blues boss stated ahead of a friendly with Charlotte on Wednesday. "We are aware of interest and offers, which just tells us there is a lot of potential, and the owners and me will take this decision together in the end, also with the player.
"Right now when he arrived, it's clear he's trying to impress and is just trying to become a Chelsea player as soon as possible. After his loan at Southampton, the situation was very clear for him to make the next step, to show his improvement and make an impression in pre-season.
"Unfortunately he injured himself and of course there is a lot of noise going on because there are offers and interest in him. Let's see how this goes but I'm pretty calm about it because we know the situation and we have a contract."
Having impressed at Southampton last term, the former Vitesse loanee was linked with Italian champions AC Milan, rivals Inter, Napoli and Newcastle United. The Saints, meanwhile, have an outside chance of bringing him back down south, having described his time on the coast as "special."
"I loved every minute with you lads," Broja wrote in an Instagram post on the final day of the campaign. "It was honestly something special to me. You have not only become brothers to me but also family. I will miss you guys!"
West Ham manager David Moyes has reportedly made the hotshot his priority for the window, having laid out his ambitions in the market before the 2021-22 season came to a close and the Irons secured a place in the Europa Conference League. "We can add to it and maybe get a bit more competition in some areas than we've had at the moment.
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"The truth is, I've probably been looking forward six months to a year. How can I grow it a little bit better and stronger? I've been at it all the time and I've never stopped thinking about the future and growing the club.
"I want things better round the training ground and the stadium. There are lots of things I want to build, but with regards to players, we hope we'll be able to add to what we've got next season."
