Willian says he will finish the season with Chelsea - even if his contract has expired

Willian

Chelsea winger Willian has vowed to complete the 2019/20 season with the club even if his contract expires before the campaign's conclusion.

The Brazil international is set to be a free agent on June 30, having so far been unable to agree fresh terms with the west London outfit.

The Premier League season was suspended until April 4 last Friday amid the escalating coronavirus pandemic.

Representatives of all 20 clubs are set to take part in a conference call on Thursday morning to try and determine a path forward.

The most likely option is that the season will be completed in the summer, with UEFA having already postponed the European Championship by 12 months.

And Willian says he is willing to play beyond his contract in order to be "loyal" to Chelsea.

“My contract really ends, I think in July," the forward told Esporte Interativo.

“And if I had to play on those dates, in these months, I think it would be no problem for me to end the league in a way which would be loyal to the club, as they always were with me. Regardless of a signed paper.

“But it’s clear that this is not a certainty, we don’t know what can happen. But without a doubt, as always, I will always be ready to give the best to my club regardless of my contract situation.

"No, nothing new, no news," he added when asked if there had been any progress in his discussions with Chelsea over a new deal.

“Especially after what’s happening, everything stopped. But so far no news about anything.”

Chelsea players are currently in self-isolation after Callum Hudson-Odoi tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

"The instructions they [the club] passed on to us were that no one should leave the house," Willian explained.

"Unless there’s something you need to buy, at the market or at the pharmacy. But we shouldn’t leave the house, not to go to any other type of place.

"And if the club knew something that the players would be leaving, they would fine us. That’s what they said to us.”

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Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).