Willian hopes Chelsea will up previous bid to complete his signature in January

Shakhtar Donetsk forward Willian has admitted he wanted to jump at the chance to sign for Chelsea when their offer came in, and still hopes to move to a bigger team in the near future.

The versatile attacking midfielder attracted plenty of attention over the summer, with Tottenham and Chelsea very keen on the player.

Chelsea had a bid rejected by the Ukrainian side, and Willian expressed his desire to move away from the club.

The Brazilian said: “My goal is to play for a bigger club in a high level league.

“If I tell you that I was happy, I would be lying. My desire was there, with a 25million euros (£20.3m) offer from a big club like Chelsea. I wanted to pack my things and go, but I can’t do that as I am under contract.

“It shows how much Shakhtar like me and shows that I am doing a good job, which is why they wanted me to stay.

“I have tried to convince them many times to let me go. I know that Juventus and Chelsea have made offers to buy me and that motivates me a lot.

“The club know that I want to leave, everyone knows that. The president has told me that he’ll let me go for 30million euros and my intention is to sign for a big club.

Chelsea are currently in the hunt for valuable attacking options to add to the squad in January and may reignite their interest in the midfielder/striker. Willian played a part in Chelsea’s demise in the Champions League, scoring in both group fixtures against the West London club.

He has been in great form for Shakhtar, and is available for a very reasonable £24.5million. If Chelsea were to fail in their bid for Fellaini, I believe Willian would be a more than gracious replacement. The Brazilian forward could add some experience to our squad, which could prove invaluable with the expected loss of Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard in the summer. Who would you prefer? Willian or Fellaini?