Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has suggested out-of-favour striker Romelu Lukaku may have to leave Chelsea with the World Cup in Qatar on the horizon.
Chelsea forked out a club-record fee that was reported to be £97.5million (€115m) to take Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge from Inter last August.
Lukaku's second spell with Chelsea has not gone to plan so far, though, and the 28-year-old did not do himself any favours by telling Sky Sport Italia that he was unhappy with his situation with the European champions after losing his place in the side.
The former Everton and Manchester United frontman remains out of favour, having scored only 12 goals in 35 appearances this season under Thomas Tuchel.
Martinez hinted that the Red Devils' all-time leading scorer may have to seek pastures new if he is unable to force his way back into the Blues side, so he is firing on all cylinders in Qatar later this year.
"We are talking about players, like Romelu, who have got over 100 caps and are part of this group of players who know the national team inside out," the Spaniard told The Sun.
"I'm not going to judge or assess the condition of any player until after the summer because it is not a normal situation.
"It is still seven months to the World Cup and probably you will go into the details of how a player feels when it gets closer to it than now.
"But there will be a lot of players who change clubs or are going to feel in a different way in the summer.
"Romelu needs to be assessed on how he feels in September, the same way Eden Hazard does and some others.
"But he is one of the players for whom the summer could be a big moment for their careers."
Martinez, however, says Lukaku is ready to fight for his place in Tuchel's team.
He added: "We always speak. I have a very close relationship with all my players. I would never tell a player what to do but we always share thoughts.
"At the moment Romelu is in a good place. He is so committed.
"He was delighted to win the Club World Cup and the next step is to finish the season strong with Chelsea and make sure he can feel very important."
Casemiro hits back at critics over Man Utd performances
Casemiro has hit back at the "disrespectful" critics over comments made about his recent Manchester United performances.
The Red Devils have come under pressure for a poor run of form in recent weeks, with Casemiro one of the players singled out, in particular for his performance in the 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.
Casemiro enjoyed a successful first campaign with United, finishing third and lifting the EFL Cup, but the club are currently in danger of suffering their lowest-ever Premier League finish in eighth place.
"I was considered one of the best signings of the Premier League last season, and now I'm not worth anything anymore?" Casemiro told Sky Sports.
"The criticism is disrespectful. So, when it's lacking respect, then it's worrying, and I don't have to respect that either."
Casemiro was also recently left out of Dorival Junior’s Brazil squad for this year’s Copa America.
United finish their Premier League season away at Brighton on Sunday before facing Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 25.
Chelsea players must set ego aside or 'situation will hardly change', Silva warns
The departing Thiago Silva warned Chelsea's players to set their egos aside, or their "situation will hardly change" next season.
Silva, who will return to hometown club Fluminense in the close season, is gearing up for his final appearance for the Blues after four years at Stamford Bridge, where they host Bournemouth on the final day of the 2023-24 campaign.
A draw would be enough for sixth-place Chelsea to secure a return to European football next season, while they could still overtake Tottenham in fifth with a win and Spurs losing to bottom side Sheffield United.
But despite a positive end to the campaign, during which they have won four successive games and lost just one of their last 14, Mauricio Pochettino's side are a whopping 28 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.
Silva believes the club deserves better, having spent over £400 million on no fewer than 13 players over the past year, and has urged the squad to prioritise teamwork over their personal ambitions next term.
"I hope [the players] understand that everything they did to get to Chelsea has to be worth it," he told Sky Sports. "Because the season we're having is not worthy of Chelsea. I think they need to do more next year.
"These boys need to be aware that Chelsea has to fight for [for trophies] in the top positions. If we take a little of our ego and put it in favour of the team, I think it will work. If we don't do that, the situation will hardly change, unfortunately."
Mbappe left out of PSG squad for final Ligue 1 game
Kylian Mbappe has been left out of Paris Saint-Germain’s squad for what would have been his final league game for the club.
PSG face Metz on Sunday having already secured the Ligue 1 title for a record-extending 12th time, but Mbappe will play no part in the match.
The Frenchman is not listed on the club’s medical list, though he did miss their win over Nice on Wednesday as a precaution. PSG did not give a reason to justify his absence.
PSG still have the Coupe de France final to play on May 25 against Lyon, which Mbappe could return for.
Mbappe confirmed he would be leaving the club at the end of the season after seven years. He is the club’s top scorer with 256 goals, with 191 of those coming in Ligue 1.
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