Chelsea boss confident of landing Brazilian.
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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes Anzhi Makhachkala forward Willian has made a u-turn on his decision to sign for Tottenham and will instead complete a move to Stamford Bridge, according to the Guardian.
The Brazilian has been strongly linked with a £30million move to Spurs for the last few days, and was reportedly in London undergoing a medical and finalising personal terms with the club until a late bid from Chelsea last night.
Blues owner Roman Abramovich has a good relationship with Anzhi owner Suleyman Kerimov, and he appears to have been successful in an improved offer of £32million to the Russian club.
Willian could be seen by Chelsea as a decent alternative to their main target Wayne Rooney, who they have so far been unsuccessful in signing from rivals Manchester United.
Asked about the situation, Mourinho said: “I think he’s already made his decision,” and nodded when questioned on whether the decision was to join Chelsea.
“I don’t like to speak before time because football can be crazy,” he added. “I know what the player wants, so in this moment we cannot hide. That is a possibility.”
Willian was a target for Chelsea a couple of years ago after first breaking onto the scene with former club Shakhtar Donetsk, and looked like being the latest in the long line of new faces arriving at White Hart Lane this summer.
Despite this apparent rejection, Spurs will still be hoping to bring in Roma pair Erik Lamela and Miralem Pjanic in a bid to replace Real Madrid-bound Gareth Bale.