Chelsea latest: Willian on Spurs snub, Luiz on Barca transfer tactics

Switching transfer destination from Tottenham Hotspur to Chelsea at the last minute should not have come as a surprise, insists Jose Mourinho's £30m summer acquisition Willian, who told Brazilian broadcaster Sportv that the Stamford Bridge side had shown a summer-long interest in him but he was, at the time, prevented from leaving Anzhi Makhachkala.

'They made an offer two months ago but I was not allowed to leave,' he said. 'I kept following the club and I used to go to London to follow Chelsea whenever I had free time and now my dream has come true.'

He finished by remarking that he is particularly looking forward to learning under his new coach: 'I will work with Mourinho who is the best manager and I will grow a lot with him.'

Thursday Transfer News: Spurs plot Bale stay with Arsenal target Suarez set for Reds talks

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy attempt to persuade Gareth Bale to stay at White Hart Lane by targeting more big name signings such as Erik Lamela, Christian Eriksen and Willian. Elsewhere, confusion reigns over Luis Suarez's future, but the Liverpool striker is set for new talks at Anfield.

EXCLUSIVE: Daniel Levy will make his pitch to persuade Gareth Bale to stay at Tottenham in the next 24 hours by telling him big names are coming. The North-London club are plotting moves for Roma's 21-year-old forward Erik Lamela, Ajax playmaker Christian Eriksen, 21, and Anzhi Makhachkala's 25-year-old winger Willian.

Zidane Confirms Real Madrid Still Chasing Spurs Star Gareth Bale

Real Madrid assistant coach Zinedine Zidane has revealed the Spanish giants have not given up their hope of signing Tottenham star Gareth Bale and are still interested in landing the 24-year-old during the transfer window.

The Welsh international has been a priority transfer target for the La Liga side and if the reports are to be believed, Bale has informed Spurs chairman Daniel Levy about his desire to join Madrid. Zidane admitted that both clubs share a very good relationship and Madrid will go slowly with their approach of signing the Premier League star.

'It's Tottenham-Inter, not Bale-Inter' – Stramaccioni

The Nerazzurri head coach praised the quality of his side's Europa League last-16 opponents, while revealing that only fully-fit players will feature on Thursday night

Inter head coach Andrea Stramaccioni has hailed Gareth Bale as one of the most talented players in Europe right now, but insisted that Tottenham have other players to be wary of.

Bale announced himself on the continent with a stunning second-half hat-trick against the Nerazzurri in 2010 in the Champions League, though his endeavours could not prevent Spurs from losing 4-3 at San Siro.

The two European giants meet in the Europa League at White Hart Lane on Thursday night in the first leg of their last-16 clash, and the Italian has warned that the Wales winger is not the only star that needs to be watched like a hawk.

"I think Tottenham are not only a very strong team physically, but they also has great quality,” Stramaccioni said to reporters at a press conference on Wednesday evening.

"[Andre] Villas-Boas had the opportunity to develop with one of the best coaches in the world: Jose Mourinho.

"Bale is now one of the most complete players on the European scene; he is becoming crucial [to Spurs].

"Though Bale is strong, Tottenham have many champions. But we also have top players and have absolutely no fear. It's Tottenham-Inter, not Bale-Inter.”

Injuries have depleted Inter’s squad and Stramaccioni is adamant that only those who are 100 per cent will feature on Thursday to prevent the problem from worsening.

"We cannot risk anyone who is not in peak physical condition because we are in an emergency [situation],” he added. "We are trying to recover as many players as possible for this game.

"If we're to get a result tomorrow, we're going to need to produce a huge performance."

Stramaccioni also revealed that striker Antonio Cassano will return to the squad having been left out of the Nerazzurri’s 3-2 victory at Catania following a dispute between the pair.

"Cassano is here with us, he has trained and tomorrow I am sure that he will either start of be brought on to contribute."