Chelsea's £27m bid for Brazilian attacking midfielder Willian rejected by Shakhtar Donetsk

Chelsea have had a £27million bid rejected for Shakhtar Donetsk forward Willian Borges da Silva.

The European champions have been tracking the Brazilian international for some time, and have finally made their move for the star.

However their opening offer has fallen short of the Ukrainian club's valuation, with manager Mircea Lucescu revealing anything less than the £32m paid for Eden Hazard will not do.


'I had a conversation with Willian and the club president about Chelsea's interest, the Romanian said. 'I told Willian he can leave, but only if the right offer is made. He's a great player.'

'Willian was the biggest investment Shakhtar have made in a young player, and we have to respect that. Clubs should not assume that if a player is coming from the east that the the price is lower.

'They paid a lot of money for Hazard but are not willing to pay that for Willian, even though he's better in my opinion.'
 
Willian has excelled since moving to the Ukrainian giants from Corinthians in 2007, picking up three Premier League winners' medals and the 2009 UEFA Cup during his time at the club.