Transfer Centre

Chelsea winger Willian wants Premier League stay amid Arsenal, Spurs interest

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 30 March 2020

Chelsea winger Willian confirms that he wants to stay in the Premier League beyond the end of his contract, giving hope to interested pair Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Chelsea winger Willian has confirmed that his preference would be to stay in the Premier League beyond the end of his current contract, which expires this summer.

Talks over an extension for the 31-year-old have so far proved fruitless with the two parties failing to agree on the length of any new deal, meaning that as things stand the attacker will be a free agent from the start of July.

Willian has already vowed to stay with Chelsea until at least the end of the season, which could now stretch beyond the end date of his contract due to the coronavirus outbreak, but his future beyond that remains uncertain.

A host of clubs including Juventus, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are understood to be monitoring the Brazilian's situation, and the player himself has offered hope to the latter two by confirming that he would rather stay in England.

"My desire is to stay in the Premier League, but I don't rule out playing in other leagues, no," Willian is quoted as saying by ESPN.

Willian was on the brink of joining Tottenham in 2013 before instead signing for Chelsea, where he has gone on to score 59 goals and create 59 more in 329 appearances.