Chelsea look set to miss out on signing Paris Saint-Germain winger Lucas Moura as Willian has opted to stay put at Stamford Bridge, according to reports. Willian admitted last month he was frustrated by his lack of game time at Chelsea but that he respects any decision made by manager Antonio Conte.
The Brazil international joined us in 2013 and starred during Jose Mourinho’s final season at Stamford Bridge, before falling down the pecking order under new manager Conte. The winger has repeatedly been linked with a reunion with Mourinho at Manchester United.
The Blues were reportedly prepared to sell Willian in January in order to fund a move for PSG’s Lucas Moura. According to Le 10 Sport (h/t the Mirror), Chelsea wanted around £27million for the Brazilian. But Willian has enjoyed a resurgence lately, scoring Chelsea’s equaliser against Liverpool and making vital contributions in all four goals against Qarabag. The sudden rise in form has seen him gain our manager Conte’s trust.
Now, as per French news outlet Le 10 Sport, Willian’s renewed form has prompted Chelsea to make amends to their transfer plans of selling him in January and replacing him with compatriot and PSG winger Lucas.
The £34.2m rated Lucas is surplus to requirements in the French capital and has been sidelined by manager Unai Emery. The winger has fallen down the pecking order at PSG, following the big-money arrivals of Neymar from Barcelona and Kylian Mbappe from Monaco this past summer.
Lucas has surprisingly been ignored by the Parisian leaders, despite him racking up 19 goals and 11 assists last season. Now, it appears as if the Brazilian has understood that he is no more a part of Emery’s plans at PSG and looks set to move to the Far East.
According to Goal, the former Sao Paulo star has already agreed to terms with Chinese club Beijing Guoan, to join the Chinese Super League, following in the footsteps of his Brazilian compatriots Hulk, Oscar and Alexandre Pato.
With this news, it is safe to say we must forget about Lucas joining Chelsea and concentrate on our current player Willian. However just as he begins to gather some momentum and rediscover his lost form, I am sure he has still a lot to offer the Blues.
