Thiago Silva confirms decision over Chelsea summer exit

Thiago Silva has confirmed he will leave Chelsea when his contract expires at the end of the season.

The veteran defender, who joined on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in 2020, will turn 40 in September and teased a potential departure from Stamford Bridge earlier this month.

Now confirming his decision to leave, Silva told Chelsea media: «Chelsea means a lot to me. I came here with the intention of only staying for a year and it ended up being four years. Not just for me but for my family, too.

»My sons play for Chelsea so it's a source of great pride to be a part of the Chelsea family – literally because my sons are here. I hope they can continue their careers here at this victorious club that many players wish to be part of.

«I think in everything I did here over the four years, I always gave my all. But, unfortunately, everything has a start, a middle and an end. That doesn't mean that this is a definitive end. I hope to leave the door open so that in the near future I can return, albeit in another role here. But it's an indescribable love. I can only say thank you.

»Obviously, when I started here, it was during the pandemic so there wasn't any fans in the stadium. But through social media, it became something very special to me and then when the fans started coming back to the stadium and life was getting back to normal, I started to feel a lot of affection and respect for my story and for my start here.

«It is already hard saying goodbye in the most normal of circumstances but when there is a mutual love, it's even harder. But once a Blue, always a Blue.

»The way in which I came to the club, with the support of the club, I got to the club as a leader even though I didn’t feel like it having arrived as the new