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Chelsea launch late charge to hijack Willian’s £30m move to Tottenham

By on August 22, 2013

Chelsea have now entered the race to sign Anzhi Makhachkala’s Willian by launching a late attempt to hijack Tottenham Hotspur’s £30 million deal for the Brazilian. Tottenham’s bid to capture Willian was nearly completed after the attacking midfielder passed a medical at White Hart Lane on Thursday, but Jose Mourinho has lead a late charge from Chelsea to bring another attacking midfielder to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues are looking to complete a deal for the 25-year-old before their Premier League clash with Manchester United on Monday, and talks are believed to be taking place. If Mourinho does capture his first major signing (if you don’t count the signing of Andre Schurrle’s from Bayer Leverkusen) of the transfer window in a sensational twist, but it might not be the best move for Willian. Although Chelsea do offer Champions League football it is hard to see where the former Shakhtar Donetsk player fits among Mourinho’s vast wealth of attacking options. Eden Hazard, Oscar, Schurrle, Juan Mata, Victor Moses, Frank Lampard, Ramires, and possibly Wayne Rooney already occupy attacking midfielder and winger roles in Chelsea’s squad, so playing time cannot be guaranteed, whereas Willian would be Tottenham’s starting No10.

A move to Chelsea could also decrease his chances of being part of Brazil’s World Cup squad next summer if Willian is given limited playing time. The flashy goalscorer has spent the last 24 hours considering his options, and Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas did not give any clues on to which club Willian is leaning towards. Speaking after Tottenham’s 5-0 win over Dinamo Tbilisi in the Europa League, the Portuguese manager said: “We were involved in the game so, unfortunately, I cannot give you further information to what is happening.

“I confirmed [on Wednesday] there was interest in the player, if something happens… everything is possible. I’m not aware of all the circumstances because of our involvement in the game. Neither did I want it to be a distraction for what we achieved tonight.”

Villas Boas also refused to comment on the status of Gareth Bale, who is expected to finalize a move to Real Madrid in the coming days.

“On Gareth I am not able to comment on anything that has been my tone since the start of the season and I will not come out of it,” Villas-Boas said.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.