Thiago Silva is leaving Chelsea at the end of his contract this summer, and his exit from the club was apparently agreed very cordially.
Proof of that is the stance from Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt, who handled the talks to bring the defender back to Brazil.
Quoted by O Globo, the club chief explained he had very pleasant negotiations with Chelsea when planning the player’s move to Rio de Janeiro.
Silva’s arrival has already been announced by Fluminense, and he’s set to join the club as soon as the Blues finish their season.
“We start having enormous affection for this club. The way they treated us from the start of the conversation until we closed, they weren’t intransigent at any point. They let him wear the shirt, they let him come sooner. We’re a club with origins in England, Fluminense was originally founded by English people, so we have an immense affection for Chelsea. The way they respected us, they were very dear to us. I can tell you that from the moment they treated us that way, I was a Chelsea fan in England. Impressive grandeur,” said Mario Bittencourt.
The Fluminense president even teased about the possibility of a couple of friendlies between the clubs soon.
“If, at a break in the calendar, I can play a friendly in England and they can play at the Maracanã, it would be incredible to create a link between the two clubs.”
Thiago Silva joined Chelsea on a free move from Paris Saint Germain in 2020. In four years playing for the Blues, he made 152 appearances, having won a Champions League trophy there.
The defender is turning 40 in September, and as he recently announced he’d leave Stamford Bridge, it always seemed obvious he’d finish his career at his favourite club Fluminense, where it all started.
For Chelsea, having such a warm relationship with Fluminense can only be good for the future and the chance to get young Brazilian prospects.
