Willian 'Happy Playing for Chelsea' Amid Barcelona, Manchester United Rumours

Willian has said he is "happy playing for Chelsea" amid rumours linking him with a move to Barcelona and Manchester United this summer. 

Exit talk has followed the Brazilian throughout the summer, but he has hinted he'll remain at Stamford Bridge for the new season.

Per Football.London's Greg Johnson, after the Blues' 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Community Shield on Sunday, Willian said:

"This is just the beginning. I've been only in three training sessions. We have a new season with a new philosophy, everything is new for everyone. But this team has everything to improve in all aspects.

"The people know we have a lot of competitions to play. If we work hard we can achieve a lot of things.

"I always told him [Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri] I'm really happy playing for Chelsea. I never talk about me leaving the club."

The winger returned late for pre-season training but revealed he has had promising discussions with new boss Sarri: "This is a new era with a new boss and our first conversations have gone really well, and I hope to have a lot of victories for us."

Per Goal, he further spoke of his desire to stay:

Willian contributed 13 goals and 12 assists in all competitions for Chelsea last season in what was his most productive campaign in a Blues shirt.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Chelsea scored more goals with the 29-year-old in the starting lineup than on the bench:

They also conceded more and won fewer games, though that does not necessarily mean Willian was responsible for those difficulties.

It will be fascinating to see how Willian and Chelsea's other players fare in Sarri's fluid attacking system, which yielded many goals with his Napoli side.

Given the Brazil international's comments, it seems we will get to see him play a role under the Italian this season rather than elsewhere.