Chelsea are refusing to budge from their £70 million valuation of Willian after rejecting Barcelona’s third bid for the Brazilian winger.
According to a report by The Sun, Chelsea are firm on their valuation of Willian despite his desire to join Barcelona in the summer transfer window. The Blues will not sell the Brazilian winger unless Barcelona shell out £70 million, having rejected three previous bids by the Spanish champions
The Willian transfer saga has been one full of twists and turns. Barcelona have been hell bent on signing the Brazilian international and have submitted three bids to land him. But, Chelsea are determined to hold on to him, knocking back every offer thus far. There is also the threat of Manchester United that looms in the distance.
For Barcelona though, the need to sign a pacy winger is understandable. Ousmane Dembele could be on his way out of Camp Nou after just one season. Beyond the Frenchman, there is no attacker who can provide width and a pacy outlet on the flanks. Willian is thus, a viable target for the Blaugrana.
But, new Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has iterated that he will like to keep hold of his unsettled stars, Willian included. But, he will only hold talks with them when they return from holiday. In all this, Barcelona have made their intentions to sign Willian crystal clear, although their latest bid was knocked back by the Blues once again.
Willian’s desire to join Barcelona does give them added impetus. But, the 29-year-old is unlikely to force through the move. Meanwhile, Chelsea are firm on their valuation of the Brazilian international, having set a £70 million price tag on him.
Their stance does give Chelsea a small chance of retaining the player, with Barcelona reportedly identifying possible alternatives. The Spanish champions have made a late offer for Malcom, who seemed to be on his way to AS Roma.
While AS Roma are still the favourites to sign Malcom, Barcelona’s late move could see them land the youngster, which in turn could see Willian remain at Chelsea. It still seems like a long shot.
But, Chelsea might just have a silver lining in Malcom as they look to keep hold of Willian. In the meantime, they could also accelerate the process of tying the 29-year-old down to a new deal. The terms are clear in front of Barcelona though; if they still wish to sign Willian – pay the required sum and the player will likely be on his way.
