Jose Mourinho: Juan Mata and David Luiz ‘important’ to Chelsea

Jose Mourinho has described Juan Mata and David Luiz as “important” players to Chelsea and quashed the speculation linking the duo with transfers away from Stamford Bridge.

Barcelona are understood to have had a bid for Luiz rejected by the Blues this week, while Mata was linked with an exit following Mourinho’s return to west London earlier in the summer.

But the Portuguese coach has quashed talk of either Mata or Luiz leaving Chelseas this summer.

“If they [Barcelona] need a central defender my advice is that they have to go to the second name they have in the list because they are wasting their time. No chance,” Mourinho said.

“They are important players. The team with David Luiz and Mata is a better team. But we don’t risk players in pre-season. Mata had a little thing, no risk, David has something from the past, an injury he had before the Champions League final, so we stop, we are not here to risk.

“But the team with them is a better team. He had a good session in Washington with the physio so hopefully, no problem.”