Stop! Don't ask about Willian's contract – Sarri

When a reporter mentioned the possibility of the winger only receiving a one-year deal, the Blues boss cut him short

Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri was in no mood to discuss Willian's contract amid links with La Liga champions Barcelona.

Willian was said to be a target for Barca in pre-season and the Brazil international has caught the attention of the Spanish club once again, according to recent reports.

The 30-year-old's future was discussed following Chelsea's 2-1 Premier League victory over Newcastle United on Saturday, a match in which he scored the winning goal.

When a reporter began to mention the possibility of Willian – whose contract expires in 2020 – only receiving a one-year deal, Sarri cut him short.

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"Stop, stop, stop. I don't know anything about the Willian contract, but I don't know what to answer," Sarri said during his post-game news conference.

"Maybe he has 12 years of contract, I don't know. I don't know the detail. You are trying to let me speak about something I don't know."

Sarri added: "You know very well that Willian is a very important player for us, as I said yesterday in the news conference.

"In my opinion Willian has to stay with us. A very important player, like Pedro. [Callum] Hudson-Odoi is becoming for us a really important player.

"With Eden [Hazard] as a striker, we need wingers. So we need Pedro. We need Hudson-Odoi. We need Willian of course. For us he's fundamental."

Indeed, Willian himself spoke of the ongoing speculation over his future, telling BT Sport: "My future is Chelsea, I don't know what you're talking about," while fellow goalscorer Pedro added: "Your future is here."

Next up for Chelsea is a trip to Arsenal, where the Blues will hope to put further breathing room between themselves and the fifth-placed Gunners.