David Luiz admits he is enjoying “one of the best seasons” at Chelsea, but appreciates results have to take priority over an extension to his current contract.
The Brazil international defender is set to see his deal at Stamford Bridge expire at the end of the season.
If no fresh terms are put in place, then the 31-year-old will drop into the free agent pool this summer.
Chelsea are reluctant to part with an experienced performer and Maurizio Sarri is eager to see Luiz tied down – preferably to an agreement longer than the 12 months usually offered to players over 30.
Discussions have come to nothing so far, though, and it remains to be seen what the future holds.
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Luiz is prepared to be patient as he waits on further talks, with the South American happy with his form as an individual as he endeavours to improve the collective standard in west London.
"It's one of the best seasons I've had individually, but, for me, this doesn't count because I want my team to win," he said ahead of a midweek meeting with Tottenham.
"It's better that my team wins 5-4 and it's better that everyone talks bad about me but my team is winning than I'm doing a great job and we're still not winning."
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Chelsea, in Sarri’s first campaign at the helm, have slipped out of the Premier League’s top four in recent weeks.
They are still very much in contention for Champions League qualification, but have suffered an alarming dip away from home.
The Blues also tasted Carabao Cup final heartache in their most recent outing, as they slipped to a 4-3 penalty shootout defeat to Manchester City – with Luiz among those to fail from the spot.
A home date with old adversaries Tottenham presents them with a chance to return to winning ways, with all of those at Stamford Bridge determined to get a disjointed campaign back on track.
Luiz said: "Chelsea is a team which should be fighting for the Premier League and now we are seeing it is a bit far, so it is not the same mentality. It is up to us to pass this step."
