Chelsea duo Willian, Pedro sign on for rest of season

LONDON - Chelsea wingers Willian and Pedro have extended their contracts until the end of the current campaign, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday.

Both Brazilian star Willian and Spanish playmaker Pedro could have left Chelsea on June 30 when their original deals were set to expire.

With the Premier League season set to run until the end of July due to the coronavirus hiatus, that would have been a blow to Chelsea's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

But now the pair will be able to feature for Frank Lampard's team until the campaign is concluded.

"As a result of the global pandemic and the subsequent delayed conclusion to the campaign, Premier League clubs unanimously agreed to be allowed to enter into short-term contract extensions with players whose deals were due to expire at the end of this month," a Chelsea statement said on Tuesday.

"Willian and Pedro were among those affected, and they and the club have now mutually agreed to extend contracts until the finale of the current season.

"It means they will be available for our remaining Premier League fixtures in 2019/20, as well as any future involvement in the FA Cup and Champions League."

Willian has been a key figure for Chelsea this season, while Pedro has mostly appeared as a substitute.

Chelsea are currently fourth in the Premier League and face Manchester City on Thursday.

They also have an FA Cup quarter-final date with Leicester on Sunday and are still in the Champions League, albeit trailing 3-0 after the first leg of their last 16 tie against Bayern Munich.

AFP