Barcelona have made contact with Chelsea star Willian’s representatives and are positioning themselves to make a move for the Brazilian, according to reports.
The Catalan club are in need of attacking reinforcements after PSG paid out Neymar’s £198m release clause, and are believed to have agreed a fee to sign Angel Di Maria.
But, according to France Football, they will not stop at the Argentine and are also ready to make a play for Willian as they search for alternatives to Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele.
The Liverpool and Dortmund stars were Barca’s first-choice targets, but deals have been virtually impossible to secure as both clubs insisted their prized assets were not for sale.
That has prompted Barca to look elsewhere, and they believe Willian could be a viable, top-level option, especially if he is not at the forefront of Antonio Conte’s plans.
The former Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker only started 15 times in the Premier League last season, with Pedro often preferred, while recent reports have suggested he no longer has the full trust of his manager.
Willian showed a great deal of support for Diego Costa during the Spanish striker’s fallout with Conte, and the Daily Mail claim he is fearful of being the next player to be cut adrift by the Italian.
He even opened the door to a move to Manchester United earlier this summer, revealing that tentative talks had been had over a possible move to Old Trafford.
He told Goal.com: ‘There were a few conversations with my agent. I worked with Mourinho and I became his friend as well.
‘He likes me a lot and I like him a lot as a coach and as a person. He has put his trust in me and in my work, and I was very grateful to him.
‘Manchester came to me, they talked with my agent, but nothing happened, because Chelsea would not negotiate me in any way and I’m very happy at Chelsea.’
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