Shakhtar star Willian heading to Chelsea

Shakhtar Donetsk star Willian says he would "love to play" for either Tottenham or Chelsea, ahead of his current club's clash with the reigning European champions.

Brazil playmaker Willian was left bitterly disappointed this summer after Shakhtar reportedly snubbed bids from both London clubs.

The 24-year-old revealed he would welcome an approach from either when the transfer window reopened.

"There were two offers in the summer," he told Lancenet.

"One from Chelsea and one from Tottenham. Choosing between the two clubs would be difficult. I don't know."

Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas was in charge at Chelsea when they saw a £16.7 million bid for Willian knocked back in January.

Despite his failure to secure a switch to White Hart Lane, however, the Brazilian forward has remained in close contact with Villas-Boas and is still tempted by the prospect of playing in the Premier League.

"I mean, Tottenham is a big club and it has a good person in charge. Andre Villas-Boas wanted to bring me to Chelsea and also tried at Tottenham. He always sends me messages. We are always in touch, and he has become a friend, for sure.

"And Chelsea is Chelsea. They are a great team, with amazing players and are the champions of Europe. I would love to play for either of those clubs."

Willian is expected to line up for Shakhtar in the Ukrainian side's crunch Champions League meeting with the Blues at Donbass Arena on Tuesday - and though he is focused on securing a result, he recognises that such an occasion offers him a platform to shine.

"My mind remains at Shakhtar, and I'll do my best to get the win against Chelsea," he said. "Everybody knows what my goal is. I've clearly stated that I would like to play in a bigger stage, whether it be England, Spain or Italy.

"I want to come back to the national team, and being in a bigger spotlight would help me get noticed."

Shakhtar boss Mircea Lucescu has warned Chelsea would be made to pay for failing to appreciate Willian's "true value" ahead of Tuesday's game.

Lucescu accused the European champions of making a derisory bid for the Brazil playmaker, who they tried to buy in January and reportedly made another attempt to sign this summer.

Lucescu, who admitted he had given Willian assurances he could move to Stamford Bridge, said: "Willian was far away from Chelsea.

"They didn't even get anywhere near to our requirements, having done nothing to make my promises to Willian come true.

"Speaking specifically about the amounts, they officially offered the sum for which we had bought him young.

"I would really like them to highly appreciate his true value tomorrow and realise that they made a big mistake."

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