With the January transfer window rapidly approaching, it's not unusual to see a plethora of different rumours circulating around the biggest clubs.

And Chelsea are definitely one of the prime targets, especially with their transfer ban cut short and Frank Lampard being able to do business for the first time in his short reign.

One of the players whose fate is still in the air is the 31-year-old Brazilian winger Willian, as his contract is due to expire in the summer of 2020 and there are yet to be any clear indications on the state of his renewal.

Of course, the player himself has been vocal about his wishes, reiterating that he indeed wants to stay and Lampard has recently confirmed that some talks are taking place at the moment, as quoted by County Press.

"He’s in talks with the club, he speaks with the club on the money side of it."

But due to his age and his contract situation, the temptation to cash-in will definitely be there in January if the Blues are presented with a decent offer, especially considering Lampard now has a wealth of young alternatives to choose from in Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Mason Mount and potentially even Reece James.

Willian though, is an important player in this team and Chelsea must not only resist the urge to get some money while they still can - even if they have to run the risk of losing the Brazilian on a free transfer - but also prioritise extending his stay in west London.

He proved how instrumental he can be with his masterful display vs Tottenham Hotspur as he maintained 91% passing accuracy while also making a total of five key passes.

We shouldn't look past the two goals that ultimately gave Chelsea their 2-0 victory over Jose Mourinho's men either, nor the sheer experience that he brings to a rather young and developing team.

This could be invaluable moving forward for the Blues.

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With the likes of Tammy Abraham, Mount and Pulisic, Lampard has a lot of firepower in his squad but Willian is the piece that finishes the jigsaw, offering balance between the unpredictability of youth and the consistency of experienced players. He has the street smarts they're still yet to cultivate.

And Lampard has already discussed how important a figure he is within the squad as well, stating:

"All his team-mates love him, he's a low-maintenance player to have in the squad."

Surely there has to be a spot for him in the squad not only for the rest of the season but also in subsequent campaigns, if Lampard wants his young cohort to learn from the best and doesn't want to heap too much pressure on them too soon.

Not only that but with Eden Hazard now out of the picture, Willian finally has the opportunity to play cutting inside rather than having to beat his man along the touchline. That should add more goals to his game and subdue the potential consequences of age slowing him down. We saw against Spurs just how deadly he can be when curling the ball into the far post on his stronger foot.

Lampard will need to make some big decisions over this Chelsea squad in the coming months, and some of its older players could well be moved on. Olivier Giroud, Pedro and Marcos Alonso have scarcely featured in the Premier League this season.

Willian though, should be the exception to the cull. He's still got a lot to offer and without spending big, Chelsea will struggle to find a replacement who offers the same qualities to this Blues team. Rebuffing offers in January before tabling a contract of their own should be Chelsea's plan of action.

Meanwhile, Chelsea should be looking to offload two of their fringe players come the January transfer window...