Chelsea star, 25, ASKED to be left out of Club World Cup squad to secure transfer exit with Premier League rivals keen

CHELSEA ace Djordje Petrovic asked to be left out of the Club World Cup squad to focus on his future.

Petrovic, 25, enjoyed a successful loan stint at Strasbourg this past season and recently returned to the Blues’ squad.

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And following his impressive performances in Ligue 1 the goalkeeper wants to be a guaranteed starter, something the West Londoners cannot offer him.

According to The Telegraph, that is why the Serbia international asked to be omitted from manager Enzo Maresca’s squad for the Club World Cup.

Chelsea chiefs understand Petrovic’s position and thus relations between the player and the club remain good.

Thus, both parties agreed that Petrovic would be best served trying to sort out his future instead of travelling to the US.

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And should the keeper fail to secure a permanent move away to another club that meets his demands then he will rejoin Chelsea for pre-season training in July.

Strasbourg have expressed an interest in signing the Serbian permanently this summer.

However, there is also interest from various Premier League sides –  West Ham being one of them – as well as teams from Europe.

Chelsea were planning to include Petrovic in their Club World Cup squad had he not asked to be left out regardless of their recent bid to land AC Milan star Mike Maignan.

The Blues’ £12.7million offer wasn’t accepted by Milan, who demand almost double despite Maignan having only one year left on his contract and refusing to extend.

The West Londoners could revisit their attempt to sign the France international when the summer transfer window reopens on June 16.

However, Maresca still has faith in his other goalkeepers Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Mike Penders, which is also a reason why Petrovic couldn’t be guaranteed a starting role.

Andrey Santos, who also played for Strasbourg last season, is the only loanee to be included in the Club World Cup squad.

The same doesn’t apply for Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix and Axel Disasi, while new signings Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr will be flying to the US.