David Luiz, ever stingy with quotes regarding transfers and transfer rumors, has finally spoken about his impending move to Paris Saint-Germain.
"I made a point of wrapping everything up before coming to train with the national team."
"It's a new phase, a new project, a new country, a new language.... I was very happy at Chelsea, I won titles, but I had arrived at the end of a cycle. I'm going to start a new cycle in Paris."
"It's going to be announced when the (transfer) window opens. But I can already say I've reached a deal with Paris and I'm very happy to be going there."
-David Luiz; source: AFP
So that should put an end to any hope any of us may have had of this transfer falling through for whatever medical or opportune fax machine breakage reasons. While David Luiz will technically remain a Chelsea player through the World Cup all the way until June 30th, for all intents and purposes, he will have been long gone by the time the European transfer window opens that midnight.
This latest source puts his transfer fee at the top end of the range: £50m, which remains an exorbitant amount no matter how you slice it. While I maintain that it is impossible to put a price on the emotional aspect of what David Luiz meant to this club and to many fans, at the end of the day, business is business. And this was good business for Chelsea, especially if it translates into a world class midfielder later this summer. (No, I don't think we can belabor this last point any less; it's that important.)
At least the separation looks to have been amicable. David Luiz now takes his special brand of joy to France, and we can rest easy that he doesn't harbor even a five-second angry towards Chelsea.
Farewell, sweet prince; may flights of angels sing thee to rest every Parisian night.