Tottenham are considering signing Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Willian, according to the Metro. The 24-year-old Brazilian was strongly linked with a move to the Premier League last summer, and Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas is believed to be an admirer of the South American. Willian himself has admitted he would like a move to England.

Willian
Willian was strongly linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur during the summer of 2012 Reuters

Spurs' interest comes on the back of the transfer of another Brazilian midfielder, Taison, from Ukrainian Premier League side Metalist Kharkiv to the Donbass Arena. The 24-year-old Taison was believed to be signing for Stamford Bridge and Chelsea until a last-minute bid from Donetsk stole him away. It is believed the arrival of Taison will persuade the Ukrainian champions to allow Willian to leave. The player, in any case, has only 18 months left on his contract.

However, any move for Willian, whether from north or west London, will be expensive. Donetsk, as AVB commented earlier, do not need finances and are in no rush to sell players on the cheap. Therefore the original £20m valuation, Metro believes, will remain, at least for now.

Willian is the Ukraine club's top scorer in the Champions League this season, with his four goals guiding the club to a place in the knock-out stages and a tie against German champions Borussia Dortmund.

Chelsea's interest, the Express reports, is likely to come in the form of a £35m bid. If the report is true, then it is very unlikely Tottenham can match the offer, leaving the Blues free to add Willian to the list of Brazilians already at the club.In addition, Premier League champions Manchester City have also been linked to the player.

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

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