Unlikely that I will stay at Chelsea beyond this season, admits Willian
Chelsea star Willian has confessed that it looks very unlikely that he will continue his stay at Stamford Bridge beyond this season. The Brazilian attacker is out of contract with the Blues and while reports indicate that manager Frank Lampard is keen on keeping him, things have clearly changed.
The 31-year-old had previously confirmed that the Blues had offered him a two-year extension on his current deal, which is more than what they offer players above the age of 30. The London giants have a strict one year policy for players above the age of 30 and Willian admitted in an interview earlier that he was holding out for a three year deal amidst interest from elsewhere.
The attacker has seen Barcelona, Arsenal and even Tottenham all look into a potential move with PSG also keen. However, now in an interview, the 31-year-old went onto reveal that it’s rather unlikely that he will be at Stamford Bridge beyond the 2019/20 season. Willian further added that while he is fond of the fan and the club, his future is important and there have been on talks over a potential extension with Chelsea unwilling to hand him a three year deal.
"I've built something fantastic at Chelsea. I'm especially fond of the fans and the people that work there, and I've felt very settled. Everyone knows my contract is up in a few months and it looks like it'll be difficult to secure an extension. I think it's unlikely that I'll renew because Chelsea offered me a two-year deal, I asked for three and it ended there,” Willian told Fox Sports.
"There were no more talks or negotiations. Chelsea said that three years would be impossible, so at the moment it seems unlikely that I'll extend, but nothing is impossible. We don't know what might happen. We might suddenly reach an agreement, but what I can say today is that my contract is up and I'll be free to negotiate with any club.”
The winger has been linked with a move back to his native Brazil as well but there has been interest from Juventus, Arsenal, Tottenham, Barcelona and even PSG in recent months. Both Juventus and PSG reportedly are looking at a move for a cut-price attacker with Barcelona on the lookout for something along the same lines. Willian further reiterated that he’s looking to stay in Europe and not go back to Brazil, with him looking to play top level football for a few more years.
"At the moment I'm not thinking about going back to Brazil and my aim is to stay in Europe. I think there's still scope for me to do that in the current market and continue playing at the top level for a few more years. My target is to remain in Europe. There's been plenty of speculation in recent months, but there's not been anything concrete.
“It's just speculation [moves to Barcelona and Juventus] and it's nothing concrete, as is often the case. If I do end up heading back to Brazil, Corinthians would be a great club for me to end my playing career at. It's where I broke through and I'm very fond of it. I'm a professional and wouldn't rule any other clubs out, but as I do have a special bond with Corinthians, that would be more likely," Willian added.
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