Barcelona consider another attempt to sign Willian from Chelsea
Barcelona are considering making a renewed effort to sign Chelsea winger Willian.
The Spanish giants had a £55million bid for the Brazilian rejected by the Premier League club last summer and tried again in January, when they offered Malcom plus cash, but are now looking to do a cut-price deal at the end of this campaign.
Willian has just one more year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge and Barcelona are therefore likely to make a substantially lower bid than they did last year.
Matters are, of course, complicated by the fact that Chelsea are appealing against Fifa banning them from signing players for the next two transfer windows. They are already privately resigned to losing Eden Hazard, who is also in the final year of his deal, and who is desperate to join Real Madrid.
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The future of Callum Hudson-Odoi, who is wanted by Bayern Munich and who wants to leave, also further complicates matters although Chelsea are likely to hold onto the 18-year-old in the hope that he will change his mind if he gets more game-time and sign a new contract.
The added complication for Willian is that he is now 30 – and is 31 in August – and Chelsea have an unofficial policy of only offering players of that age 12-month contracts.
The Brazilian has a year left but, naturally, would be looking for a longer deal if he is to stay. Fellow winger Pedro, 31, is also in the final few months of his contract.
If Chelsea’s ban is upheld, meaning they cannot make any signings this summer, they may relax the over-30s rule which might also affect Willian’s team-mate David Luiz, whose contract expires at the end of this season. Alternatively, if they cannot make any signings, they may hold Willian to his contract and accept that he will leave next year for free.
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