Chelsea club captain Cesar Azpilicueta. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
According to Futbol Total, via Spanish outlet Sport (h/t Football.London), European champions Real Madrid are eyeing up a move for Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta during the January transfer window.
Los Blancos would be willing to offer £10m to the Spanish international, who is part of the national team squad for the World Cup in Qatar.
Azpilicueta, who had a year left in his contract this summer, signed a new contract before the start of the season to commit his future to Chelsea till the summer of 2024 (BBC). Spanish giants Barcelona were lurking to make a move for him at the time.
The 33-year-old may have made more than expected appearances this season due to the injury to first-choice right-back/right wing-back Reece James. The Spain international has made a total of 17 appearances in all competitions, clocking close to 1000 minutes.
He has been a legend at the club, having been part of a team that lifted the Premier League twice in 2015 and 2017, along with a Champions League title in 2021. Not just the silverware, he has been one of the consistent performers over the years.
At 33, after giving it all in the last few years, it seems as if he has lost that yard of pace, which is understandable given his age and the amount of football played in the last 4-5 years.
But, Azpilicueta is the only backup option at right-back to James, who is injured at the moment. So, would the club risk losing their captain and hope the latter stays fit for the whole of the second half of the season? The likes of Trevoh Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek can play there but they cannot be counted as genuine backup options.
Hence, it might be a wrong option to let the Spaniard leave for Madrid in January, unless they have a right-back ready to be signed in the same window. Moreover, Azpilicueta is a leader and an experienced figure in the squad.
The club wouldn’t want to lose him in the middle of a season. The Blues did well to keep him at the club this summer after losing Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid on a free transfer. It would make no sense to put in all that effort to then sell him midway through the campaign.
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