Willian spills beans on why he turned down Barcelona for Chelsea in 2018

Chelsea and Brazil winger Willian on Tuesday revealed to British media outlets about his reasons for not joining Barcelona last season. Barcelona were interested in signing him in 2018, but the deal fell through. Willian said that he is happy at the Stamford Bridge.

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Barcelona wanted Willian after the World Cup

When asked about the rumours linking him to the Spanish champions, Willian stated that the only real official offer had come from Barcelona last year after the FIFA World Cup in Russia. Barcelona indeed presented an offer to Chelsea but it was rejected. That was the only actual time he had to discuss something like this with his family. Although he went on to confess that they really love staying in London, so there were several factors that helped him in staying at Chelsea.

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Willian is open to a move to Brazil, as his contract with Chelsea expires in the summer of 2020. When asked about a possible switch to his country, Willian commented that if he had to return to Brazil, he would like to play for the Corinthians again. He went on to say that the club will always have a special place in his heart as he was born and raised there, his footballing career began there when he was nine and he had spent his entire childhood there.

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When asked about his boyhood club, Willian stated that he has been a Corinthians fan since his childhood, even before he played there. His family also supports the club. So when he got there, all his relatives were very happy and then after he got to the first team, everyone was overjoyed.

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Willian joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in August 2013. He has won two Premier League titles, the Europa League, one FA Cup and one League Cup. He recently played his 300th game for Chelsea. He can legally start negotiating with other clubs for a transfer from January 2020. It is believed that Chelsea are unwilling to extend Willian’s contract. Lampard has largely put his faith in the youngsters with the likes of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Christian Pulisic enjoying the manager’s confidence.