Enzo Maresca is hopeful that Noni Madueke remains focused on Chelsea’s Club World Cup semi-final against Fluminense amid the noise surrounding his transfer link to Arsenal.
Softfootball reports that Chelsea take on Fluminense today at the MetLife Stadium as the two sides go head-to-head for a place in the first ever final of the revamped competition. Madueke has made four appearances in the tournaments up until now, with two of them being starts.
However, he has not started in the knockout stages yet and was an unused substitute over 120-plus minutes against Benfica in Charlotte. While they benefited from getting deals done for the likes of Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens in recent weeks, Chelsea are having to cope with speculation regarding their own players.
Softfootball understands that Arsenal are said to be interested in signing Madueke after the tournament in the United States concludes, with fees in the region of £40m and £50m. As it stands, though, the England international remains an option for Maresca in what is also a lucrative contest for the club.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Maresca gave every indication that the 23-year-old remains in his plans for the contest in New Jersey. Nevertheless, he hinted that he would understand if Madueke may not find it easy to deal with the “noise” that has transpired.
The Italian said, as quoted by The Mirror:
“Personally I think the same noise where before Palmeiras came, you see we gave him half an hour and he was very good, so I don’t have any doubt that if we need Noni he is going to help us.
At the same moment I can understand that as a human being when there are many noise around you it’s not easy to deal with that, but hopefully he can deal with that.”
Madueke has featured in four of Chelsea’s five matches in the Club World Club, only playing no part in the last-16 tie with Benfica. As alluded to by Maresca, he was introduced as a 54th-minute substitute against Palmeiras and helped Chelsea get over the line in a 2-1 win.
However, his game time has reduced since the last group game with Esperance Tunis on June 25, around the time that links with Arsenal started. Madueke will be hoping to win his place back in the side for the semi-final, although the form of Pedro Neto who has scored three goals in the United States this summer.
Despite Madueke having a contract in place until 2030, Chelsea are not short of wide options, and making a substantial profit on the £29m that they paid in January 2023 is likely to be viewed as an attractive proposition.
Furthermore, Madueke may feel that he will earn more football at the Emirates Stadium than at Stamford Bridge, making it increasingly likely that a transfer will be finalised if the two clubs can settle on a fee.
In an earlier update, Softfootball reported that Arsenal has been warned against signing Chelsea winger Madueke. Arsenal’s interest in Chelsea winger Noni Madueke has sparked divided opinions, with critics warning the move could stir unwanted backlash due to recent transfers between the two London rivals.
While Mikel Arteta’s side are known to be seeking reinforcements on the wings, some insiders believe Madueke is not the right fit. The 23-year-old played a full role in Chelsea’s Conference League final win and ended the 2024–25 season with 11 goals and five assists in 44 appearances. His ability to operate on both flanks adds tactical value, but questions remain about his reliability
