Shakhtar confirm Chelsea interest in Willian; Jelavic keen on Liverpool move

Shakhtar confirm Chelsea interest in Willian

Shakhtar Donetsk have confirmed that Chelsea have shown interest in Brazilian midfielder Willian.

The Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas recently revealed that the Brazilian was followed by Chelsea, but virtually ruled out a January move for the player.

Chelsea have reportedly had a £20 million bid rejected for the player, but Shakhtar now claim they are willing to negotiate a deal.

“We have no burning desire to sell the player, but in football some things are impossible to avoid,” Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin was quoted as saying in Daily Mail.

“If it weren’t for our good relationship with Chelsea – and Willian does not hide his intention to test himself in one of the best clubs in the English Premier League – we would insist on the £29m release clause written into the player’s contract.

“It is important to understand that we are talking about Chelsea’s desire to buy Willian, but not Shakhtar’s desire to sell him.”

The 23-year-old has been in scintillating form at Shakhtar over the last few years and he has been attracting attention from big European clubs.

Jelavic keen on Liverpool move

The father of Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic claims that his son is interested in joining Liverpool.

The Croatian striker is widely tipped to leave the Scottish giants for a bigger club and he has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs.

West Ham and Queens Park Rangers recently made a check on the 26-year-old, but Liverpool are also believed to be keen.

The player’s father now reveals that his son would prefer a move to Liverpool.

“We know about the interest of West Ham and QPR,” Philip Jelavic said in The Sun.

“But Nikica has five or six clubs that are interested, including that of the great Liverpool.

“As for West Ham and QPR, Nikica is more ambitious than that. It’s most likely that he’ll sign for Liverpool.

“But there are a few days until the end of the window, so we’ll see.”

Jelavic has been in remarkable scoring form over the last two years, bagging 31 goals in 45 Scottish Premier League games.

Montpellier: Giroud worth between €16 and €20 million

Montpellier have revealed that star striker Olivier Giroud is worth between €16 and €20 million.

The Ligue 1 top scorer has been earning rave reviews for his displays this season and he is wanted by a number of high-profile clubs.

Giroud, who scored 14 goals in 19 league games this season, was believed to have a €10 million release clause inserted in his contract, but Montpellier vice-president says that is not entirely true.

“I read everywhere that Olivier Giroud has a clause in his contract standing at €10 million,” Laurent Nicolin told club’s official website.

“It is not that simple. The fact that Olivier is now French international implies changes in the clause, just like his future caps or even possible participation at the Euro.

”Nothing is fixed, the amount may increase depending on various parameters. Today, the amount is between 16 and 20 million euros, and everything can change again.”

Arsenal and Newcastle have been showing interest in the 25-year-old striker, as well as several Ligue 1 clubs.

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