Nemanja Matic has suggested that he is close to signing for Chelsea by insisting that he has played his last match in a Benfica shirt.
The Serbian midfielder has spent the last two and a half years with his Portuguese club, having joined them from the Blues as part of the deal that took David Luiz to Stamford Bridge.
However, recent speculation had suggested that manager Jose Mourinho was keen to re-sign the 25-year-old, who has now expressed his desire to seal the switch.
"I have played my last game here. I want to thank all the people at the club and all the supporters. Benfica will forever be in my heart," he told A Bola.
"I played here for two and a half years. I gave my best in every training session, every match, and now is the right time to leave.
"I want to improve, I want to go to a better league and I want to go to Chelsea, the club which I also love."
Chelsea are said to have bid £20m for Matic, with talks between the two clubs believed to be ongoing.
Liam Apicella
