Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri is ‘very confident’ that midfielder Willian will stay at the club this summer.
As reported by the Times, the 29-year-old has been linked with a move to Real Madrid this summer after reporting back late for pre-season training.
The Brazilian has made 236 appearances in his career with the Blues so far, scoring 44 goals and providing 39 assists.
Chelsea manager Sarri has revealed at the club’s Community Shield press conference that he is confident that former the Shakhtar Donetsk winger will stay at Stamford Bridge this summer.
On Willian's return to training, he says: 'I spoke to him yesterday about [being late]. It was a very positive conversation and I am very happy about it. There is not a Willian problem.' He is 'very confident' the Brazilian will remain a Chelsea man. #CommunityShield
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 3, 2018
“I spoke with him yesterday about (being late),’ Sarri said in the official Chelsea press conference.
“It was a very positive conversation and I am very happy about it.
“There is not a Willian problem.’
OPINION
This is good news for Chelsea on the pitch, but it might not be that such good news off the pitch. The winger is a great player who makes telling contributions on the pitch on a regular basis, he is a key player who is pretty much guaranteed to start every Chelsea game if he is fit. His record at the Blues speaks for itself, 83 combined goals and assists in his Stamford Bridge career is a great record for a wide player, so it’s good news that he’s staying. However, at the age of 29 and with only a few years of top-level football left, Sarri should have at least contemplated the reported £65million offer from Real Madrid as he could have used that money to rebuild his squad and maybe sign a younger player who would be better for the long-term. To have an offer of that kind of money for a player approaching 30 is very rare, they should have taken the offer while they still had the chance.