Chelsea Transfer News: Cesc Fabregas U-Turn, Latest on Antoine Griezmann Rumours

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has rubbished rumours Cesc Fabregas could be sold in January, while Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann has parted ways with his former representative and will represent himself from now on, amid reported interest of the Blues and Manchester United.

Several reports surfaced earlier this week suggesting Conte wanted to sell Fabregas in January, with Neil Fissler of the Sunday Express writing the Spaniard doesn't fit his system and the Guardian's Gerard Meagher claiming there was already an agreement between the club and AC Milan.

But as reported by Simon Johnson of the London Evening Standard, Conte shot down those rumours on Thursday, speaking to reporters ahead of the Premier League clash with Liverpool. When asked whether he was contemplating a sale of the former Barcelona man, he said:

"

No. Cesc is in my plans, he is in Chelsea plans. We all know Cesc is a fantastic player and I'm pleased to see him in every training session with great intensity.

If he continues in this way, it is very difficult for me to choose. But I want this from my players, to put many doubts in my mind before I choose the line-up.

He is a great player, great technical player but I'm starting to know him. He is a great personality.

"

Fabregas has yet to start a Premier League match this season, with Brazilian midfielder Oscar preferred by Conte in the role of conductor. The Spain international has been a major factor off the bench, however, helping the team grab points against Watford and Swansea.

Bruce Kluckhohn/Associated Press

The former Arsenal star was one of the catalysts behind the Blues' title run during the 2014-15 season, but he fell flat last year, as Chelsea suffered a horrible start to the new campaign and ended up finishing well outside the European spots.

At his best, Fabregas is easily Chelsea's top creative force in midfield, but the Spaniard lacks the bulk to be a disruptive force as well. While that shouldn't normally be a problem, Conte has always preferred physical midfielders over creative ones, and Bleacher Report's Lars Pollmann is one of many who thinks an eventual transfer is fairly certain:

At Juventus, Conte flanked Andrea Pirlo with Arturo Vidal in midfield, and in Paul Pogba and Claudio Marchisio, he had two more stars capable of holding their own in a physical battle. The Bianconeri mostly used a 3-5-2 formation―Chelsea don't have the defensive quality to run a similar system.

Working against Fabregas is the fact Oscar has had a solid start to the new season, and the Blues have won all but one of their matches so far. Managers tend not to tinker too much with a winning team, so for now, Fabregas will likely have to be happy with a spot on the bench.

He has too much quality to stay there, however, and expect the 29-year-old to get his chance to prove himself as a starter before too long.

Claude Paris/Associated Press

Meanwhile, Atletico star Griezmann has confirmed he has parted ways with his agent in a move that will only fuel transfer speculation. Speaking to L'Equipe (h/t Daily Mirror's Ed Malyon), the France international said he'll represent himself and listen to the advice of his father and his mentor, Eric Olhats.

Onefootball just had to make this joke:

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Griezmann: "From now I'm going to operate without an agent"

Raiola's reaction pic.twitter.com/gKi2OKDxnb

— Onefootball (@Onefootball) September 15, 2016"

Per the report, the former Real Sociedad man has a buyout clause of €100 million, which seems fair value for one of the world's most wanted forwards. Both Chelsea and United could realistically be willing to pay such a fee for his services, although Griezmann has yet to give any indication he's open to leaving the Rojiblancos.

Atletico Madrid's transfer ban means they're unlikely to sell for any fee below his buyout clause, but if either Premier League club triggers his clause, there's little the LaLiga club can do to stop him leaving.