Willian’s Chelsea career may be over after injury doubts

WILLIAN may have already played his final game for Chelsea, with the Brazilian touch-and-go for tomorrow’s Champions League clash against Bayern Munich, as he closes in on a free transfer to Arsenal.

The winger has been involved in light training this week after missing the win over Wolves and the FA Cup Final defeat to the Gunners through injury and Blues boss Frank Lampard was set to make a decision on his availability after 11am training at Cobham this morning.

Willian, who turns 32 on Sunday, is close to agreeing a lucrative three-year deal with Arsenal, believed be worth more than £100,000 a week, but Lampard is thought to have no qualms about using him in Germany if fit, with Chelsea travelling to Munich this afternoon.

The Blues’ mammoth task of overturning a 3-0 deficit from the last-16 first leg back in March has been made

more difficult by a spate of injuries, and Cesar Azpilicueta, Christian Pulisic (both hamstring), Pedro (shoulder) and Billy

Gilmour (knee) all remain sidelined, while Jorginho and Marcos Alonso are suspended.

N’Golo Kante, an unused substitute at Wembley on Saturday, is set to be included after training this week.

Chelsea hope to replace Willian with Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz this summer, but any move for the 21-year-old remains on ice after he helped his club past Rangers and into the Europa League quarter-finals last night.

Chelsea refused to offer Willian more than a two-year deal due to his age, but centre-half Antonio Rudiger insists the club is losing a world-class player and says the experienced forward is still working to improve his game.

“He is not the type of player who talks that much,” Rudiger said. “He does his thing on the pitch, just like Eden Hazard. By playing, he shows what he is about. He is someone who always wants to improve.”

Meanwhile, Jorginho’s agent has opened the door for a reunion with former Blues coach Maurizio Sarri at Juventus, which could help fund a Chelsea move for

West Ham’s Declan Rice.

The playmaker joined Chelsea from Napoli along with Sarri in summer 2018 but has not always been a regular under Lampard, particularly since the restart.

Asked about Sarri’s interest in his client, Jorginho’s agent, Jaoa Santos, said: “Everyone knows there is a very strong rapport between Sarri and Jorginho after five years together, but Jorginho has three years left on his Chelsea deal.”