Willian and Ilsinho: Shakhtar’s position

21-01-12 14:56:03

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Recent days saw Shakhtar’s midfielder Willian being in the spotlight of the Ukrainian and international mass media linking him with a move to Chelsea. The Terrikon.com correspondent asked FC Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin to clarify this situation.

- Is Shakhtar prepared to sell Willian to Chelsea?
- The philosophy of our club is simple: If a big club offers serious money for our player, we will always consider its proposal. Of course, if a player himself wants to leave. In our case, Willian expressed his desire to test himself in the Premier League.

- What can you tell about the alleged transfer fee?
- Willian’s contract involves a minimum release clause of 35 million Euros. But we met Willian halfway and are ready to let him go for 30 million. It should be said that for the aforementioned sum of money it will be difficult for us now to sign a player of Willian’s level. If the minimum release clause indicated in the contract had been 50 million Euros, then we would demand for the player no less than 40 million. It is important to understand that today we are talking about Chelsea’s desire to buy Willian, but not Shakhtar’s desire to sell him. We also need this player. 

- What is your response to Chelsea’s 20 million bid for Willian?
- When Willian was 19 years old we paid for him almost the same amount of money. What is the point of such a deal then?

- Could you elaborate on the situation with Ilsinho, who is rumoured to return to Shakhtar?
- Many clubs were interested in the Ilsinho’s services, they were willing to offer him a good deal as well as pay off his 4 million Euros of debt owed to Shakhtar. But the player expressed his desire to return to Shakhtar. Yes, he was wrong. But everyone makes mistakes. Ilsinho, to my knowledge, admitted his guilt and refused all offers, and now he wants to return to Shakhtar. That said, he is even ready to accept a much lower salary compared to the one he had before leaving the team. Regarding Ilsinho, we are confident that he is a top player, who will be highly motivated to compete for a first team place.

Source: Terrikon.com

FC Shakhtar
Press Office