Thiago Silva expects to sign a new contract to extend his stay at Chelsea "in the next few days".
The centre-back has been a key player for the Blues since joining as a free agent in August 2020 following the expiry of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain.
Silva signed an initial one-year deal with the club and helped Chelsea to win the Champions League in the 2020-21 campaign, after which he signed an extension until the end of this season.
With less than six months remaining on that contract, the 38-year-old revealed both he and Chelsea want him to stay with the club, and he anticipates putting pen to paper on a fresh deal very soon.
"We are talking about it," Silva told ESPN. "Everything will probably happen in the next few days.
"My intention, and that of the club as well, is to stay together."
Having lifted eight top-flight titles with Milan and PSG before his arrival at Chelsea, Silva believes his vast experience at the top level is an important asset for the Blues to utilise while he is still at Stamford Bridge.
The club brought in 21-year-old centre-back Benoit Badiashile from Monaco for £35million (€39.4m) in January, while they also splashed big money on Wesley Fofana at the start of the season.
Silva hopes to continue his positive influence on Chelsea's young central defenders, saying: "I know that the club needs me right now. I am here to be able to help, they are young players.
"I know that, with my experience, I can help in this process of rebuilding the club. I'm here for that, willing to do this, however, I know that my responsibility is very great."
Chelsea brought in Enzo Fernandez from Benfica on deadline day for a British-record transfer fee of £106.8m (€121m), though fellow midfielder Jorginho departed the club to join Premier League leaders and London rivals Arsenal.
Silva understands why the Italy international moved, but acknowledged his team-mates will have to step up to fill the leadership void that the 31-year-old's exit has left.
"[It was] for a direct competitor," Silva added. "But these are football things, it happens. He would like to stay in England, because he has family nearby.
"These are things that we have no control over, but we also have to understand the player's side.
"We lost one of our great leaders in the locker room, Jorginho, a guy who spoke a lot. This gap will remain, but we have to move on.
"We didn't expect him to leave, [but] it happened. We must make up for his absence in the best possible way."
Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino
Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.
Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season.
A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season.
"The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.
The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break.
Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September.
Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports.
The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.
Doncic backs Mbappe to turn fortunes around at Real Madrid
NBA superstar Luka Doncic has backed Kylian Mbappe to "figure it out" after his underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in 16 games for Madrid in all competitions since joining as a free agent following the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.
He has gone four matches without a goal – a run that includes losses to Barcelona and Milan – and has been left out of France's latest squad.
However, Dallas Mavericks guard Doncic – a Real Madrid supporter due to his previous ties with the sports club – can see Mbappe turning things around.
"Obviously [their season] could be better," Doncic told Managing Madrid after the Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
"But when you get a guy like Mbappe, it takes some time to get used to it. We'll figure it out."
Mbappe has scored six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances for Madrid but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.
The forward is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in all competitions this term, compared to one every 88 minutes for PSG in his last of seven seasons in Paris.
Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 last time out in the league to return to winning ways but still trail leaders Barcelona by six points.
Asked about his connections with Madrid, former Los Blancos basketball player Doncic said: "I follow Real Madrid every time.
"I grew up there. They taught me everything, so it's a part of my life. You can call it a secondary home.
"I learned a lot of stuff there and, especially, they gave me a way to be here right now [in Dallas]. I always appreciate that 100%."
Madrid return to action after the international break with a trip to Leganes on Sunday.
Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona: Guijarro brace sets visitors up for Clasico glory
Patri Guijarro's first-half brace set Barcelona on their way to a thumping 4-0 win over rivals Real Madrid in Liga F on Saturday.
Claudia Pina and Alexia Putellas were also on target as Barcelona continued their perfect start to the season, extending their lead at the top of the table.
The visitors dominated from the off, as Guijarro broke the deadlock inside the fourth minute, tapping in from Putellas' flick-on from a corner.
Cata Coll was forced into a big save to deny Alba Redondo an equaliser shortly after, but Madrid's hope was soon dented as Guijarro picked out the bottom corner with a superb long-range strike for her second.
Pina strengthened their lead six minutes before the break, clinically slotting past Misa with her low strike.
Putellas added some more gloss to the scoreline with four minutes remaining of normal time, beating the Madrid keeper with a lovely dink to bring up her 199th goal for the club.
Barcelona have won all 10 of their games, and now sit eight points clear of Madrid, who suffered their first league defeat of the campaign.
Data Debrief: Total dominance
Madrid will have felt fairly confident coming into this game after a strong start to their season, but they once again failed to find a way past their Clasico rival.
Los Blancos have lost every single game they have played against Barcelona in all competitions, with this their 15th such meeting.
Barcelona smothered their attack early on, restricting their hosts to just one shot in the first half, while they had 10.
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