Chelsea’s message on their most coveted teenager is the same whoever asks, and it is not up for negotiation. Estêvão Willian stays. Not for £86m, not for anything close to it, not on loan, not in any form.

That is the position relayed by TEAMtalk this week, citing transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano and Spanish outlet AS. Chelsea are instead working on a new, improved contract for the forward, who is already tied to the club until 2033.

Seven elite clubs, one answer

The queue of suitors has grown unusually long for a player who only turned 19 this year.

Manchester United are the most concrete name attached to a fee, with TEAMtalk reporting they are prepared to table a £86m offer. Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have all been linked in recent weeks, and within the Premier League Arsenal and Manchester City are also watching, according to TEAMtalk.

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Chelsea’s answer, as relayed by Romano via football365, is that there is no situation to resolve.

“Chelsea are not in a position where, okay, we need to sell Estêvão or we need to find a solution for Estêvão in January,” Romano said, insisting there is “still no, let me call it, transfer alert” at the club.

Why Chelsea will not budge

The hardening of Chelsea’s stance tracks closely with Estêvão’s first Premier League start of the season, in the 2-0 win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

He took six shots, three on target, created three chances and had two goals disallowed, a performance that drew public praise from Steven Gerrard.

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“I like that he is very direct. I like that he is hungry to get shots off,” Gerrard told TEAMtalk.

Head coach Xabi Alonso has managed Estêvão’s minutes carefully since taking over before the season. The forward had registered just 259 Premier League minutes across his first nine appearances before that start against United, with his previous campaign cut short by a thigh injury after eight goals and four assists in 1,676 minutes.

Alonso knows the forward is not happy

Alonso has not hidden the fact that managing Estêvão’s mood is part of the job.

“I understand his situation and that he could be happier for sure,” Alonso said, via football365, after an unused substitute appearance in the Carabao Cup defeat to Liverpool.

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The Spaniard then started him against United. Romano, via the same outlet, described the forward as a special talent who needs regular minutes, and Chelsea’s reading of the situation is that the breakthrough is already under way, not that a departure is looming.

The practical blocker is the contract. Estêvão is signed to Chelsea until 2033, which gives the club effectively complete control over any move. A loan has been ruled out, as has a permanent sale at any level.

Chelsea’s next Premier League opportunity to add to that evidence is the away trip to Sunderland on 8 November.

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