Chelsea defender David Luiz has opened the door to a possible return to Benfica, after confessing his love for the Portuguese side in an interview.
Luiz had a difficult season in 2017/18, starting off the season in poor form before losing his place in the side to young Dane Andreas Christensen amid speculation of a rift with manager Antonio Conte.
He has also struggled a with injury issues and in total only made 10 Premier League appearances, with five more coming in other competitions.
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His situation has led to speculation linking him with a move away from the Blues this summer in order to make a fresh start, and Luiz spoke of his admiration for his old club Benfica in an interview on the YouTube channel Pilhado.
He said, as quoted by A Bola: “Benfica is a passion. Benfica is passionate. Benfica comes first, then comes the woman and my family. I usually say ‘Whoever is not Benfiquista but has the opportunity to live what Benfica is, becomes Benfique’.
“As a player, Benfica was where I learned to love and be supportive. I think I’ll finish my career there.”
Luiz first left the club to join Chelsea in 2011 for €25m with Nemanja Matic going in the opposite direction. He had a tricky time adapting to the Premier League and was sold to Paris Saint-Germain for £50m.
He then re-joined Chelsea after a couple of seasons for £34m, but it looks like he could be on the move again this summer. At 31, Luiz is not as mobile as he once was, and may favour a move back to Portugal in a more relaxed, less intense league – he certainly seems keen.