Could we see a reunion of Jose Mourinho and Willian this summer? The former Chelsea and current Manchester United manager has made no secret of his admiration of his former player. While United have been linked to Willian all summer long, Wednesday brought a new angle to this transfer narrative.
According to a report in the Telegraph, picked up by the Daily Mirror, Stamford Bridge would potentially sanction a sale of the Brazilian to a direct Premier League rival, if one condition is met. They want forward Anthony Martial in return.
The Frenchman has made it known that he wants out of Old Trafford, and Chelsea is one of the teams that has been consistently linked with Martial this summer (Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid have all been mentioned as well).
Chelsea can afford to play hard ball with United right now, because a.) they know Mourinho has strong interest and b.) Barcelona are reportedly keen on acquiring the 29-year-old as well. Just yesterday we saw reports claiming the Catalan club were in talks with Chelsea over a potential deal.
However, he won’t come cheap for Barca either. Sky Sports says today that Chelsea have “turned down a bid in excess of £50 million from Barcelona.” For what it’s worth, the bookmakers have Barcelona, not United as the favorite to capture his signature this summer transfer window.
Of course, one should expect this transfer saga to take a few more twists and turns and before it is finally settled. That’s why they call it “the silly season” after all.
For more United transfer rumors and gossip, including items relating to Mario Mandzukic, Nabil Fekir, Fabinho and Matteo Darmian, go to this link.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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