Transfer Rumour: Manchester United plot £25m move for Chelsea winger Willian

Jose Mourinho is plotting a £25m move to bring Chelsea midfielder Willian to Manchester United, according to reports in the English media.

The Daily Star have claimed that Jose Mourinho is planning a reunion with his former player at Manchester United. The Portuguese is reportedly plotting a £25m bid for Willian as he looks to add a reliable winger to the squad.

Willian moved to Chelsea during Jose Mourinho’s second reign at the club and was an immediate fan favourite. The Brazilian’s work ethic and willingness to help the team out at both ends of the pitch also pleased the Portuguese manager. Willian was arguably the lone bright spot in a torrid 2015-16 season for Chelsea, which, among other disastrous things, also saw Jose Mourinho getting the sack.

The 28-year-old was voted as Chelsea’s Player of the Year last season, and rightly so, as he produced the best figures of his Chelsea career thus far with a return of 5 goals and 6 assists. However, Willian’s contribution is much more than the goals and assists he provides; the winger is more known for his ability to dribble past defenders and his tenacity and determination to win the ball back.

Willian started the 2016-17 strongly under new manager Antonio Conte, making six starts and scoring two goals in the process. However, the Brazilian has lost his place in the side to Pedro and has made only two cameo appearances since returning from international duty. In fact, Willian was not even named on the bench in Chelsea’s last two fixtures against Everton and Middlesbrough.

Jose Mourinho has so far deployed Marcus Rashford — who is a natural centre forward — on the wing, while the other wing options in Anthony Martial, Memphis Depay and Jesse Lingard have failed to impress the Portuguese. As such, there have been reports linking Manchester United with a January move for a number of wingers.

Willian now seems to have joined the list. A move for the Brazilian makes sense for Manchester United, though, as he already has the experience of working under Jose Mourinho, and the Portuguese will be able to add a player he can trust to the squad.

Willian has been forced down the pecking order at Chelsea and could be tempted by a reunion with his former boss. Chelsea could agree to the sale of the Brazilian to make space for potential new additions. It would be interesting to see if the Blues would want to sell the player to an outright rival in Manchester United — a sale that would mean a second club Player of the Year winner being transferred to Old Trafford following Juan Mata’s move in 2014.