Arsenal are reportedly hopeful of announcing the signing of Chelsea winger Willian in a matter of days.
The experienced Brazilian winger has had a fine career at Stamford Bridge, but is out of contract this summer and looks to be heading across London to the Emirates Stadium.
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This is according to the Brazilian edition of ESPN, who claim Arsenal beat the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City to the deal due to being willing to offer Willian a longer contract.
This could be a risky move by the Gunners, with Willian about to turn 32 and surely not likely to have many years left at the very highest level.
Of course, some players can go on for longer, and Willian has remained a key player for Chelsea this season, with the Blues clearly keen to keep him as the Guardian claim he rejected their offer of a new contract.
Arsenal don’t have the finances of some of their rivals, so could do well to swoop for Willian on a free.
It’s not often players of this calibre can be signed for nothing, and Willian could add depth to Mikel Arteta’s attack next season, providing an alternative to the likes of Nicolas Pepe, Mesut Ozil and Reiss Nelson, none of whom had particularly convincing seasons.
“Ferguson kept saying we’re Manchester United and we are going to attack. But deep down, the players knew it was the wrong approach.” – Which game is Wayne Rooney talking about? Click here to find out.