Barcelona believes the $85.8m deal to bring Willian to the Catalan capital is sealed.
The Brasil international grew disheartened at Chelsea following former coach Antonio Conte’s decision to drop him to the bench.
Having spent the summer with Brasil at the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, Willian is keen to start afresh for the new season. Barcelona is a long-time admirer of his talent and fought off strong competition from Manchester United to strike this deal.
He joins fellow countryman Philippe Coutinho at the Nou Camp. The pair know each other well from the Brasil national squad, which will ease Willian’s settling in process.
In order to comply with European Union rules, Coutinho is applying for Portuguese citizenship. This allows Barcelona to field three other non-EU citizens in their squad. Last season, Yerry Mina, the Colombia center-back, and Paulinho, another Brasil international, took those spots.
Paulinho returned to China this summer while English Premier League club Everton are keen on signing Mina.
New Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri finds out this week how much his transfer budget will be this summer. The Blues must spend quickly with the English transfer window closing on August 9th.
