Chelsea are about to play hardball with Willian.
That’s to be expected when Manchester United come knocking for one of their better players, right?
Well, the Blues would rather sell the Brazil international to Barcelona but would reportedly allow him to move to domestic rivals United if they get Anthony Martial in return.
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This seems like a swap deal that could benefit both sides, with Chelsea getting a more long-term promise that could come back to bite us in the arse one day. That factor scares me a little and Jose Mourinho won’t care because he’ll probably be managing elsewhere by the time Martial truly blossoms.
The speculation originates from The Telegraph, who also link Chelsea with moves for Aleksandr Golovin and Daniele Rugani to bolster their squad, while the likes of Willian and Danny Drinkwater could be offloaded to raise transfer funds.
Who can blame Chelsea for chancing their arm with Martial? He’s one of the most exciting prospects in European football, despite not being fancied by Mourinho, who prefers Marcus Rashford due to the England international’s work ethic.
Rashford too needs to improve or else he faces the same treatment as Martial. He will be expected to hit the ground running next term and to at least hit double figures in front of goal.
Should Martial stay, the same will be expected if not more.