Maresca confirms Jackson and Nkunku awaiting pending decision on their future

The Blues are looking to offload a lot of players in their squad before the end of the transfer window, including the likes of Jackson and Nkunku.

Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are not training with the first team as they also await news on their futures.

"Nicolas Jackson is available, but he will not be part of the squad. We have two other strikers, and we also know something could happen before the window closes. I have no idea if he is close to a transfer.

"I prefer to focus on training and preparing for the match. Christopher Nkunku is with us, like Nico Jackson, but the answer for him is the same. Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are training separately, waiting for some development regarding their future."

When asked if Chelsea would try to sign a new centre-back following Levi Colwill's serious injury, the Italian responded, via Sportal, "We are looking for a solution within the team. We showed that in the match against Crystal Palace. We will see what happens. I repeat, we are looking for an internal solution."

Maresca was also asked to comment on the situation with Wesley Fofana, who has deleted all his Chelsea photos from his Instagram profile.

"I talk to Wes every day. He is very, very happy, especially because he has returned from injury. He is participating in all training sessions with us. As I said after the Palace match, he was on the bench just to be with us.

"But from tomorrow, he might get some minutes. We are happy, and he is happy. I have no idea about Instagram because I don't use social media. If there was abuse directed at him there, that's never good. It's something that, unfortunately, we cannot control."

The Italian added that Tosin Adarabioyo is also returning from injury, while Romeo Lavia and Benoît Badiashile are continuing their recoveries.