Willian nearing Chelsea exit as Italian, Spanish clubs sound out interest — reports

We were promised an overhaul this summer and despite the pandemic, an overhaul is what we seem to be getting. There are attacking reinforcements aplenty on the way, and while we could use some defensive help as well, that may have to wait. Switching out the players we already have for those positions won’t be nearly as straightforward as in attack, where the likes of Willian and Pedro are out of contract.

Both of them are nearing their respective exits in fact, and those might even occur before the actual end of the season, according to the Telegraph. Their contracts are currently set to expire in three weeks, at the end of the month, and unless they sign temporary month-long deals, they will not finish the season with the club. That may not be the most generous thing to do, but exposing themselves to injury by agreeing to stay and play through July may not be the most sensible move for their careers either, especially as there’s plenty of reported interest for both.

Pedro’s wanted in Italy while Willian’s been linked with both Spurs and Arsenal. More recently, according to a report from UOL Esporte journalist Ricardo Perrone, Willian has attracted the interest of clubs in Italy and Spain as well. The unnamed clubs have even made inquiries and are presumably keeping an eye on the situation.

And Willian’s representatives are apparently confident that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to potential interest in the 32-year-old. So even though Willian had claimed that he would gladly play out the season with Chelsea, new contract or not, those words may be covered up by some emojis and erased from the record in the end as well.

Either way, both Pedro and Willian are in the final stretch of their good-to-excellent Chelsea careers. Let’s hope we can end our time together on a good note, with a few wins, and maybe even an FA Cup trophy (should they still be around for that final in August).