Maresca: Madueke focused on Club World Cup despite Arsenal links

Enzo Maresca believes that Noni Madueke will sweep rumours of a move to Arsenal to one side in order to help Chelsea reach the Club World Cup final. 

Chelsea are preparing to face Fluminense at the MetLife Stadium for a place in the showpiece match, which will be against either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid. 

But in the days leading up to the clash, Madueke, who only joined Chelsea from PSV Eindhoven in 2023, has been linked with a move to Premier League rivals Arsenal. 

It is reported that Mikel Arteta's side are weighing up a £50m bid for the 23-year-old, who scored 11 goals and registered four assists across all competitions last season. 

Madueke has made five appearances at the Club World Cup, two of which have been from the start, though he was an unused substitute against Benfica in the round of 16. 

The Blues have also already strengthened in the wide positions, welcoming Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens and Palmeiras' Estevao in the summer transfer window. 

Maresca, however, insisted that Madueke remains focused on helping his team-mates edge closer to a second Club World Cup title. 

"Personally, I think the same noise was before Palmeiras came," Maresca said. 

"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 is a lot of noise around you, it's not easy to deal with that, but hopefully he can deal with that."

Maresca also shrugged off concerns about playing in the hot and humid mid-afternoon conditions in New Jersey for their semi-final encounter. 

The weather in the United States has been a major talking point for much of the tournament, with the conditions a concern for some of the European teams. 

Following Dortmund's 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, head coach Niko Kovac also described the pitch at the MetLife Stadium as better suited for a round of golf. 

"I don't think it's just tomorrow's game," Maresca said of whether the conditions would affect his players against Fluminense. 

"Like other teams, we have already played in different conditions, but the game is tomorrow at 3pm and so all we can do is adapt and try to win,"

This will be Chelsea's third match against a Brazilian team at the Club World Cup, losing 3-1 to Flamengo in the group stage before beating Palmeiras 2-1 in their last eight tie. 

The Blues will be the only team in this year's competition to face three opponents from the same country, and Maresca is expecting another stern test. 

"The first two were very good, with lots and lots of energy. Tomorrow no doubt it will be exactly the same," said Maresca. 

"I think they have a very good and experienced coach. They have lots of good and experienced players and their style is quite clear.

"Any game at this stage of the tournament will be difficult."