Willian admits Chelsea stay is ‘unlikely’ as Arsenal, Tottenham and Juventus eye winger

Chelsea winger Willian says it is “unlikely” he will extend his contract at the Premier League club beyond this summer.

The 31-year-old, whose contract with Chelsea expires in June, recently revealed that he wants a three-year extension, with the Blues only prepared to offer a two-year deal.

Speaking to Fox Sports’ Expediente Futebol show, Willian said: “I’ve built something fantastic at Chelsea. I’m especially fond of the fans and the people that work there, and I’ve felt very settled.

“Everyone knows my contract is up in a few months and it looks like it’ll be difficult to secure an extension. I think it’s unlikely that I’ll renew, because Chelsea offered me a two-year deal, I asked for three and it ended there.

“There were no more talks or negotiations. Chelsea said that three years would be impossible, so at the moment it seems unlikely that I’ll extend, but nothing is impossible.

“We don’t know what might happen. We might suddenly reach an agreement, but what I can say today is that my contract is up and I’ll be free to negotiate with any club.”

Willian has been at Stamford Bridge since 2013 and has won two Premier League titles at the west London club, having also secured the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League. Chelsea fended off interest from Barcelona for the player in 2018.

“At the moment I’m not thinking about going back to Brazil and my aim is to stay in Europe,” Willian added.

“I think there’s still scope for me to do that in the current market and continue playing at the top level for a few more years – my target is to remain in Europe.”

Arsenal, Tottenham and Juventus have all been linked with the Brazil international, but Willian said that despite “plenty of speculation, there’s not been anything concrete”.

“The last negotiations that I had were with Chelsea. The only offer for me from Barcelona was in 2018 after the World Cup. Chelsea didn’t accept that year as they didn’t want to sell me.​”

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