Real Madrid offered a chance to sign Barcelona target Willian?
Chelsea are in the midst of a youth movement, and while Willian has remained an effective winger for them, the club looks likely to move on from him in 2020. Could Real Madrid join FC Barcelona as interested parties?
Willian has consistently been linked to FC Barcelona in the past, but it’s never seemed like the La Liga giants would actually show interest in him. While Willian has been a quality player for Chelsea, it’s unclear if he is the caliber of player who can regularly get minutes at Real Madrid or Barca.
According to a report from Defensa Central’s Mateo Vallejo, Real Madrid have been given the opportunity to sign Willian on a free. The 31-year-old will be a free agent upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the 2019-2020 season.
Willian isn’t the only notable free transfer out of London who has been linked to Real, as Tottenham attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen will also be available in the summer of 2020. Eriksen’s situation has become fluid with Jose Mourinho now the manager, so perhaps his desire to leave North London will be impacted. Real had been linked to a move for Eriksen in the winter, but with Luka Modric and Isco recovering their form, that seems highly unlikely.
As for Willian, a move for the Chelsea winger is also doubtful. He’s a versatile playmaker who can excel on the left side, but, at 31, he’s too old to pique Real’s interest. They already have Eden Hazard as a sure-fire superstar and two talented youngsters in Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo. If they were to make a move for a winger, they would save the cash on Kylian Mbappe with another set of eyes potentially on Jadon Sancho.
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Willian is still a great player, and well, free is free. The chance to steal away Willian from Barcelona could be tempting, too, since Willian would be a strong backup option for Barca. Note that Real don’t usually allocate resources to players simply to spite their rivals.
That said, the report only states that Chelsea have “offered” Willian to Real Madrid to gauge their interest. It would be a shock if Florentino Perez decided to sign him, even on a free transfer. Willian isn’t a fit for Real in terms of age or quality, so the bigger story here is the continued positive relationship between Real and Chelsea. Los Blancos have been linked to N’Golo Kante, too, though Fede Valverde’s emergence – and Kante’s importance to the Blues – makes this equally unlikely albeit for very different reasons.