Chelsea club captain Cesar Azpilicueta. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
According to Football Insider (h/t Football London), Barcelona have reached an agreement with Cesar Azpilicueta to sign the Blues captain on a free transfer in the 2022 summer transfer window.
The Chelsea defender sees his contract with the London based club expire at the end of the current campaign. While the Blues are keen to keep their club captain on, the restrictions placed on them by the UK Government has banned them from renewing player contracts.
Azpilicueta has been a long-time servant of the London based club joining the Blues back in 2012. However, a return to his homeland and the prospect of playing for Barcelona has supposedly made up the player’s mind.
The 32-year-old is versatile enough to play all along the backline and has been solid as ever in Thomas Tuchel’s team this season. He has been forced to deputise at right-wing-back often this season due to Reece James’s injury and Azpilicueta has still performed remarkably well.
Xavi Hernandez is looking to reinforce the back-line at Barcelona and signing Azpilicueta will give them a player with a lot of experience, leadership and very solid defensive abilities.
The Blues fans will not want Azpilicueta to leave. The Spaniard has been talismanic at Stamford Bridge for a decade now, captaining the team to many titles during this period.
Losing Azpilicueta will mean that Chelsea will not only lose a centre-back but also their captain. Although they have Thiago Silva who can assume the armband responsibility, losing the Spaniard is still a big loss for the Blues.
Azpilicueta might not be the only central defender leaving Stamford Bridge with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen also possibilities to leave the club on free transfers. Hence, Chelsea could have a mass defensive exodus on their hands at the end of the current campaign.
The new owners of Chelsea will have their task cut out to try and keep Azpilicueta at Chelsea for longer. If the Spaniard leaves, however, Chelsea will be in the market shopping for more than just centre-backs in the summer.
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