Willian has confirmed that he intends to stay at Chelsea – but Barcelona did make a bid for him this summer.
The Brazilian fell out with Antonio Conte at the tail end of last season. With Conte remaining in charge of the club until into July, Willian’s future at Stamford Bridge looked bleak.
After Maurizio Sarri took charge, the rumours remained. Barcelona, Manchester United and even Real Madrid are thought to have been chasing him this summer. He won’t be going anywhere, though.
He’s confirmed it himself following Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City. Willian is quoted by the BBC revealing:
“I always made it clear that what I wanted was to stay in the club.”
“The only club I knew that really made an official offer for me was Barcelona.”
We may never find out just how interested Willian was in leaving Chelsea. We are forced to take his word for it.
With Barca knocking on the door, he could have been forgiven for having his head turned. That doesn’t matter now. Willian is a Chelsea player – and it’ll stay that way.