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According to Sky Sports, Chelsea have rebuffed £35 million bids from Atlético Madrid and Barcelona for Willian. If that sounds familiar, it’s because we did the same last summer and last winter as well, rejecting multiple approaches from Barcelona alone.
The decision to do so is a bit less baffling now than it was back then, as Chelsea are set to embrace the two-window transfer ban from FIFA just as we begin the post-Hazard era. While the future probably belongs to young studs Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi, it’s not the worst idea to keep some veteran presence around as well, especially with the latter coming off of a major injury.
In fact, there’s tabloid speculation that Willian could be in line for a new two-year contract, even, following his compatriot David Luiz in breaking Chelsea’s over-30 rule for contract extensions.
The former Shakhtar winger who is just a few games shy of 300 for the club, is now the second-longest continuously serving member of the team after Cesar Azpilicueta. And it sounds like he could be sticking around for a bit longer yet!