If reports in England are to be believed, Chelsea forward Willian is keen on staying in the Premier League even if he quits Chelsea in the summer. The Brazilian international is out of contract at the end of June and he could leave Stamford Bridge after seven long years at the club.
Chelsea have made several failed attempts to renew the deal of the attacking midfielder but are yet to make a deal to the player’s liking. Willian’s former manager Jose Mourinho, now in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, is said to be keen on striking a deal for the experienced midfielder.
Mourinho is a huge fan of the flamboyant Brazilian. He was the one in charge of Chelsea when Willian made his move to the club. The Portuguese maestro also tried to bring the Brazilian playmaker to Manchester United when he was in charge at Old Trafford.
What Does His Future Hold Now?
Willian is not only wanted in England but clubs across Europe such as Barcelona and Juventus have also expressed an interest. However, Willian has expressed his desire to stay in England, as he loves the Premier League.
The 31-year-old said: “My desire is to stay in the Premier League, but I do not rule out playing in other leagues, no. I will play until the end of the season and see what happens. The only concrete negotiation was to renew a contract with Chelsea, which was not possible. They wanted a two-year contract and I asked for three.”
“Now, everything has stopped. We hear the rumours, we know that we have interest from clubs, especially because I will be free in the market, I will be able to negotiate, there are no offers for now. Returning to Brazil is not something I think about now. It does not cross my mind. I still have a lot of interest in Europe.”
Update On The Status Of The Chelsea Players
Chelsea are temporarily ceasing all contract talks. They wait to see if the coronavirus pandemic will force the season to finish beyond the 30th of June. Pedro, Olivier Giroud and Willy Caballero’s current deals are also set to expire in the summer, along with Willian.
Some of the younger talents may not get a lot more chances than before. Willian and Pedro are two stars, who will surely leave. Apart from that, Giroud will also be possibly heading out of Stamford Bridge.
With some of these key stars leaving this summer, there will be a need for the Blues to spend big. They were rather quiet in January after the transfer ban was lifted. Due to that, Lampard will now have the funds to spend more this time around.
The management has had a lot of time in their hands to make the right calls. Hopefully, they can go ahead and get the right kind of players in. To add to that, the departure of some of these veteran stars might be a good thing. It will reduce the wage bill as well and help them push for bigger and better deals.