Chelsea midfield centerpiece Nicolai Gendi, after a six-month layoff, returned to training on Tuesday (21), marking a step closer to his comeback. The 31-year-old France international is said to be making good progress with the club on a contract extension and is expected to sign a new deal, breaking rumors that he could leave the club as a free agent this summer.
Since moving to Chelsea from Leicester City in 2016, Nicolajandi has helped the team win one Premier League title and one UEFA Champions League title, among other major honors. However, he has been plagued by frequent injuries in recent years, and has been sidelined with injuries since last August's Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur, and missed France's campaign at this year's World Cup.
Nicolajandi's contract is set to expire this summer and Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Madrid are rumored to be showing keen interest in signing him. However, the £290,000-a-week midfielder is inclined to stay with the club and is believed to be set to extend his contract if nothing else. It is worth noting that Chelsea have also extended the contract of another veteran, Thiago Schwarz, for another year.
Although Nikolajendi has been able to start basic training, he has not been able to participate in full training sessions and it is expected that he is not expected to return to action until the end of March at the earliest.
