Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has refused to shed any light on the direction that his career will take when his contract at Stamford Bridge expires at the end of this season.
Silva, who turned 39 recently and will be less than three months shy of his 40th birthday when his current Blues deal is up in June, has remained a regular starter this season amid injuries to £110m duo Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile.
During summer, the Brazilian was heavily linked with Fluminense, where he started his career aged 14 after being admitted to a feeder school of the club in his home city Rio de Janeiro. Having moved on at 16, he also had a spell in the senior ranks to resurrect his career after his first move to Europe with Porto and Dynamo Moscow didn’t work out.
It was after spending three years with Fluminense, the first on loan, in his early twenties that Silva was picked up by AC Milan at the age of 24 and his career in Europe took off.
Returning to Fluminense where it all began 25 years ago before he retires would be the romantic narrative, but Silva insists any move has to suit his family’s needs.
"This relationship [with Fluminense] has been going on for a long time. But I prefer to remain silent at this moment, as there has already been some controversy in the recent past," he told Globo Esporte.
"I now have a family, I have children. So we have to think about this aspect too. It's about seeing where things can bring us happiness, to finish this beautiful and successful career that I believe I have achieved."
READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
This article was originally published on 90min as Thiago Silva responds to Fluminense transfer rumours.