Willian is back at Chelsea, and his new manager Maurizio Sarri doesn’t see him leaving.
The Brazilian was late to report to preseason training after his World Cup break, but while he arrived on Thursday ahead of Chelsea’s match against Manchester City in Sunday’s FA Community Shield, Willian had bigger fish to fry in the past week.
[READ: Will Bournemouth rebound from last season’s finish?]
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Sarri said that after a conversation with the 29-year-old midfielder, the manager feels confident Willian will be staying with Chelsea.
On Willian's return to training, he says: 'I spoke to him yesterday about [being late]. It was a very positive conversation and I am very happy about it. There is not a Willian problem.' He is 'very confident' the Brazilian will remain a Chelsea man. #CommunityShield
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 3, 2018
While Willian was AWOL from practice, transfer speculation exploded that he was headed out of Chelsea, whether to Manchester United or Barcelona.
Here are some more transfer rumors from across the Premier League and Europe:
Joe Hart heading to Burnley
England’s former No. 1 is heading to a team already with a England National Team goalkeeper.
According to the BBC, Hart is undergoing a medical at Burnley ahead of joining the Premier League club. Sean Dyche’s side is in the middle of a goalkeeping crisis, with Nick Pope and Tom Heaton both out injured. Pope suffered a shoulder injury in Europa League action against Aberdeen while Heaton is recovering from a calf injury.
It’s unclear whether Hart is signing on loan or on a permanent contract. Hart has one year left on his Manchester City contract but it’s clear that Ederson and Claudio Bravo are the top two goalkeepers at the Etihad, leaving Hart out in the cold.
Jesus signs five-year extension at Man City
Manchester City’s starting striker has pledged his future to the club.
The reigning Premier League champions announced that it had signed Gabriel Jesus to a new five-year contract, taking him through 2023 at the Etihad Stadium. Jesus has been a revelation in English soccer since joining the club in January 2017. He’s scored 20 goals and dished out seven assists in his time at the club.
Jesus is coming off a bit of a rough World Cup, where he looked a little off the pace. Now back with Manchester City, it will be interesting to see how Jesus responds to no goals at the World Cup and Brazil’s early exit.