Antonio Conte refuses to rule out Chelsea January sales amid Real Madrid links with David Luiz

Antonio Conte is unaware of reports linking David Luiz with a January move to Real Madrid but the Chelsea boss refuses to rule out the departure of some of his first-team players once the transfer window reopens.

The Brazilian defender played a crucial role in the Blues' run to the Premier League title last season after he returned from Paris Saint-Germain in the final days of the 2016 summer transfer window.

The 30-year-old centre-back also began the current season as a regular starter in Conte's three-man defence alongside Cesar Azpilicueta and Gary Cahill.

However, his future at Chelsea has come under question since Conte left him out of the squad for the 1-0 victory over Manchester United on 5 November.

Luiz returned to action in the 4-0 win over Qarabag in the Champions League but speculation over his future has resurfaced in recent days with the defender missing the following games due to a knee injury.

The defender will remain on the sidelines for the clash with Newcastle on Saturday (2 December) while reports in France and Spain have claimed the Real Madrid could take advantage of the situation and try lure him to the Santiago Bernabeu ahead of the second part of the season.

Zinedine Zidane is said to be on the hunt for a new defender after Real failed to fill the gap left by the departure of Pepe to Besiktas during the summer transfer window.

But questioned about reports saying that Real have even already agreed terms with Luiz ahead of completing his move in January, Conte said: "I must be honest, I don't read because I don't have time to read, because we are playing every three days. For this reason my focus is on the pitch, to prepare in the right way my team.

"As you know very well, these are speculations in this period. We pass from my sacking, to Real Madrid. We are very fast to pass in these two different situations. My focus is only on Chelsea and I'm totally committed for this club and for my players."

Luiz has not been the only player linked with a move away from Chelsea despite Conte having complained about the size of his squad since the summer.

When uestioned whether he can guarantee that no Chelsea players will be sold in January, Conte said: "I think this moment is very early to talk about this topic. This is not right. We are in December. There is one month to play. I think now it's very important to be focused and go game-by-game, to put all ourselves for Chelsea and try to do our best. Then when it will be the moment of transfer market, we can start to speak about this."