Boost for Chelsea as veteran ace could stay put at Stamford Bridge for another year

Cesar Azpilicueta could stay for another year at Chelsea thanks to a clause in his current contract

According to Spanish outlet Marca (h/t Football.London), Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta won’t be a free agent this summer thus making a move to Barcelona more complicated. It is believed that there is an automatic one-year extension in his current contract should the Spaniard play more than 30 times this season.

The 32-year-old defender has been linked to Blauranga in recent times. The La Liga giants would have thought that they could secure his services on a free transfer in the summer but the latest developments state otherwise. Azpilicueta has made 33 appearances for the club. This means that the club could extend his stay for another year should the above-mentioned clause be true.

This could provide the Blues with a significant boost as they have already faced a lot of turmoil and uncertainty in recent times. Under the current sanctions, the club aren’t allowed to make any new transfer or offer contract renewals to their players amidst other restrictions.

This could be a scary prospect considering the fact that the likes of Antonio Rudiger as well as Andreas Christensen are in the last year of their current deals at Stamford Bridge. Whilst there is still no confirmation, the club seems to be in a precarious situation at the moment.

There was some respite from the UK Government as they decided to let the sale of the club take place in order to avoid any major repercussions for the fans as well as the players and staff. The club have also been allowed to access revenue streams that could potentially add up to £110m.

What lies ahead at Stamford Bridge?

The Blues were flying high on the back of a successful campaign last season where they lifted the UEFA Champions League. They subsequently also lifted the UEFA Super Cup last year and managed to get their hands on the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time in their history this February.

The West Londoners also narrowly lost out in the EFL Cup to arch-rivals Liverpool last month but have managed to steer the ship despite nagging injury as well as Covid issues. The club were looking forward to another stellar season but Roman Abramovich, who is believed to have ‘pro-Kremlin’ ties was sanctioned in view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

What ensued was chaos as the London-based club suddenly had to deal with a lot of restrictions and fears as to whether their club could even hold on to the end of the season. With the business end of the season, the games will come thick and fast, and thankfully all the uncertainty hasn’t affected the on-field performances as of yet.

Cesar Azpilicueta has played a crucial role this season and has been a great deputy for Reece James at right-wing-back. The Spanish defender has won every trophy with Blues and his experience at the elite level has provided us with an assured presence, especially in crunch matches.

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Should the one-year contract extension be applicable it would be a big boost for the Stamford Bridge outfit. Barcelona could still be interested but the London club could have the upper hand should any possible negotiation take place. The club wouldn’t want to lose one of its most experienced players, especially at such a vulnerable time.

Retaining the Spaniard could be even more pivotal if Christensen and Rudiger decide to depart at the end of the season. This would give the club enough depth in their defensive setup, putting them in a strong position to add suitable reinforcement once the stance regarding the restrictions are eased and the new owners make way.