Sarri ‘very confident’ Willian will stay

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri says he is “very confident” Willian will be staying at the club.

There has been speculation over the future of the Brazilian, who has attracted interest from Barcelona and Manchester United and has been linked with Real Madrid.

That speculation increased when Willian returned late for pre-season training because of an issue with his passport.

Sarri has since spoken to the player and he insisted at a media conference on Friday afternoon that he fully expects Willian to be part of his squad for the coming season.

Sarri said: “It was a very positive conversation. I am happy about it. There is not a Willian problem.”

Asked if he believes Willian will stay, the Italian said: “Yes, I do.”

And when asked how confident he was about that prediction, Sarri replied: “Very confident.”

But Sarri was less certain about the future of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who continues to be linked with Real.

“I don’t know. At the moment Courtois is the goalkeeper of the club, of Chelsea,” Sarri said.

“I don’t know in the future. It depends on the club. It depends especially on him, I think. But, I hope that Courtois will be our goalkeeper.”