Chelsea set to sign Tottenham target "Willian" for £30m - long leg deals

 Chelsea have agreed a £30m deal to sign attacking midfielder Willian from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, subject to a work permit hearing.

The 25-year-old Brazilian was close to joining Tottenham after having a medical on Wednesday.

But it is understood Chelsea made their move at around 18:00 BST on Thursday, with a fee and personal terms agreed within 24 hours.

Willian will have a medical before his work permit hearing next week. According to various media reports, Abramovich apparently telephoned ‘fellow Russian oligarch’ Suleyman Kerimov, owner of Anzhi Makhachkala, to offer £32 million for the player.

Even if Tottenham increased their £30m bid to match Chelsea, not much can be done to sign a player who wants to play elsewhere. It is a free world, people must be allowed to make their own choices. It could be the wrong decision. Only time will tell.

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The Tottenham manager, André Villas-Boas, who made an unsuccessful move for Willian in January, before the 25-year-old left Shakhtar Donetsk for Anzhi for £30m, had intended to make the player his principal threat in the line behind the striker; somebody to offset the anticipated departure of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. Tottenham have now intensified their efforts to finalise a deal for Roma's £25m-rated forward Erik Lamela. That is understood to be close.

In the wake of Willian's U-turn, the complaints from White Hart Lane were loud and sustained. Daniel Levy, the chairman, was, according to sources, incandescent and there is the firm belief at Tottenham that Chelsea did not truly want Willian. Instead Tottenham feel that they have moved for him purely to prevent Villas-Boas from constructing a squad to challenge them in the Premier League this season. Chelsea deny this and insist they have always had an interest in Willian.

Tottenham also feel that Willian had no say in the transfer, that it was down purely to Abramovich, Kerimov and the player's advisers. Mourinho already has an abundance of options for the positions behind the striker, in the form of Eden Hazard, Oscar, André Schürrle, Juan Mata, Kevin De Bruyne and Victor Moses, and this has only increased the sense at Tottenham that Willian is not really needed at Chelsea.

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