Spanish champions FC Barcelona have launched a new bid for Chelsea winger Willian, who is also courted by Manchester United.
According to a recent report from Daily Mail, FC Barcelona have launched a second bid for Willian. The Chelsea winger has been linked with a move out of Stamford Bridge with Barcelona and Manchester United reportedly vying for his signature.
Barcelona, in particular, are keen on having Willian as their newest addition to the club in an attempt to bolster their attacking department. Sportsmail revealed last month that the Catalan giants have been rebuffed in their attempts to sign the Brazilian international. The La Liga giants have returned with an improved bid of £55 million with £5 million add-on fees.
It is understood that Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde feels he lacks greater depth in attack and thus, thinks the addition of a top-class attacker is necessary this summer. Willian has been identified as the perfect candidate with Catalan particularly keen on lining him alongside his compatriot Philipe Coutinho next season.
Willian, 29, has been a successful signing for Chelsea since he joined the club back in 2013. During his time at West-London, the former Shakhtar Donetsk winger has notched up over 230 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 44 goals while providing 39 assists. He has also played an important role in both of Chelsea’s title-winning campaigns in the past five seasons.
Barcelona’s interest in this highly rated Chelsea winger shouldn’t come as a surprise considering his consistent track record of scoring goals and providing assists. However, what makes Willian such as a sought-after player is his ability to link-up with his teammates in the final third.
His attacking combination with Eden Hazard has been one of the main reasons behind Chelsea’s fluidity in attack for the last few seasons and Barca will hope he can do the same with the likes of Lionel Messi and Philipe Coutinho next season.
On the flip side, however, Barcelona closing on the capture of Willian could be a huge blow for Manchester United, who have been also linked with a move for the Brazilian international.
After being criticized for their lack of inventiveness in attack under Jose Mourinho, the Red Devils have identified Willian as the perfect man to revitalize their attack next season. And with the team boasting the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t.
That being said Barcelona are clearly the frontrunners in the race for the 29-year-old attacker this summer. But, Chelsea have remained strict in the valuation of their prized attacking asset, meaning the prospects of Barcelona’s bid of £55m getting rejected are definitely present, which could serve as a glimmer of hope for the Red Devils as they aim to secure the services of Willian this summer.
