The wife of Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has reportedly taken to social media to deny the Spanish midfielder will move to AC Milan, despite gathering rumours the Blues will send the 29-year-old to Serie A.

Speculation has been building in recent days, but spouse Daniella Semaan took to Twitter (h/t Goal's Gill Clark) to quash the rumours. However, this is far from the first time Fabregas' name has been mentioned in connection with Milan.

In fact, the Rossoneri were said to have had officials at the recent 3-0 win over champions Leicester City in the Premier League, according to Tony Banks of the Daily Express: "Milan have claimed publicly they are not interested in Fabregas, but chief executive Marco Fassone and sporting director Massimiliano Mirabelli were both at the Leicester match and the club are on the verge of a takeover by Chinese investors which may mean more funds for transfers."

Earlier this month, Italian publication Corriere dello Sport also mooted the idea of a January bid from the San Siro (h/t Goal's Matthew Judge). It's understandable there's so much talk about a Fabregas exit since he's seemed out of place ever since Antonio Conte took over as manager in the summer.

The flair and technical acumen Fabregas' game has been defined by appear at odds with Conte's pragmatism. It's been a simmering issue since the season began, when Conte left the Spaniard out of the Blues' Premier League opener, a 2-1 win over West Ham United.

Conte was soon required to assure fans and pundits Fabregas would indeed be part of his plans, something Sky Sports News HQ was quick to confirm. Yet for all the talk, Fabregas has appeared in a mere four league matches since, making just a single start, per WhoScored.com.

The curious thing is that when Fabregas has gotten onto the pitch, he's usually delivered telling contributions in the final third. He came off the bench to slide a perfect through pass for Diego Costa to score the winner in a 2-1 win away to Watford back in late August.

The assist marked Fabregas as the most creative player in England's top flight since 2014, according to Squawka:

Fabregas also bagged a brace in extra time to secure a 4-2 win and knock Leicester out of the third round of the English League Cup toward the end of September.

Still, for all his worth in the final third, Conte has stayed reticent to include Fabregas more often. Instead, the Italian has lauded the more defensive qualities of team-mate Oscar, per Dominic Fifield of the Guardian.

It remains something of a mystery as to why Conte can't find room for a playmaker as gifted as Fabregas. His passing radar and range would surely be invaluable to attacking midfielders such as Eden Hazard and Pedro, along with prolific centre-forward Costa.

Conte may be worried about Fabregas' perceived lack of defensive nous, but he should focus more on creating the right structure around his most intelligent schemer. Frankly, housing Fabregas and his forward-thinking style without losing any shape defensively shouldn't be a problem for a team with a pair of rugged holding midfielders like N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic.

Chelsea have the minders to make Fabregas the focal point of their attacking contingent, even in Conte's preferred 3-4-3 tactical setup. The Blues should resist the overtures from Italy and concentrate on getting their best pass-master more involved.