With Anzhi’s dreams looking set to fall apart, their players are left searching for new homes. And while some are letting their agents do the talking for them, others are are trying to be proactive themselves. Willian has gained interest from a wealth of Premier League clubs, but the £30m winger has revealed his desire to join Brendan Rodger’s Liverpool side. Whatever the outcome, here are five things you should know about the potential Scouser.
1) Willian Borges da Silva, his full name, was born in Ribeirao Pires, Brazil and played his youth football with Corinthians.
2) He progressed through the ranks at the club before receiving the number 10 shirt in the first team where he would go on to score twice in 37 games.
3) He then completed a €14m move to Ukranian side Shakhtar Donetsk and quickly established himself as a regular, playing 222 games and scoring 37 for the club, before leaving for Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala in January 2013.
4) He has scored just once in 15 games for the money-bags but is desperate to leave and is supposedly ready to take a hit on his £120,000-a-week wages to do so.
5) The 25-year-old is also a full international for Brazil, making two appearances for the Samba men.