Chelsea Transfer Exclusive: Blues to let star leave with Man United ready to pounce

Posted Thursday, May 04, 2017 by Express.co.uk

Chelsea Transfer Exclusive: Blues to let star leave with Man United ready to pounce
Antonio Conte is willing to let Willian leave in the summer

CHELSEA will listen to offers for Brazilian star Willian this summer.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, a fan of the free-kick expert, is likely to be first in the queue, with the club having already made enquiries.

Mourinho tried to sign Willian in one of his first moves after taking over as United manager last summer but Chelsea were unwilling to sell.

Willian, however, is not set to play a major part in Chelsea manager Antonio Conte's plans next season and he is one of the players the club could move on in order to bring in funds and also make space for new arrivals.

Willian has started only 19 games in all competitions for Conte this season and was surprisingly left out of the side that beat Southampton 4-2 at Stamford Bridge last week, after scoring twice in the FA Cup semi-final win over Tottenham.

Conte has preferred to start most games with Spanish forward Pedro, who has been revitalised under the Italian and scored 12 goals, leaving Willian on the bench for most of the campaign.

Sources close to the Brazilian, who under Mourinho was a mainstay in the Chelsea team, have indicated that he will consider his position at the end of the season.

Willian won the Premier League title under Mourinho in 2015 and was the club's standout player in the Portuguese's final troubled season at the club.

Willian has proved an important player for Conte coming off the bench this season, scoring seven league goals, including one last Sunday as Chelsea secured a 3-0 win at Everton.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are set to allow French defender Kurt Zouma to go out on loan next season. Conte is ready to make a move for Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk, providing doubts about his fitness can be resolved.

Saints want about £50m for Zouma but Chelsea are hopeful of concluding a deal, possibly with Danish starlet Andreas Christensen going on loan as part of the deal.

The club are also set to give young striker Tammy Abraham, who has scored 26 goals in all competitions for Bristol City on loan this season, a new contract, doubling his money to about £50,000 a week to fend off interest from several other Premier League sides, including newly promoted Brighton. The 19 year old, however, may be allowed to move out on loan again next year.