La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are reportedly confident that they can prise Cesar Azpilicueta away from Chelsea in the summer.
According to a report by The Athletic, Chelsea will be in a precarious situation to keep hold of their prized assets in the summer transfer window. Such a development has left Barcelona confident about securing the services of veteran Spanish defender Cesar Azpilicueta ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Cesar Azpilicueta has been a dependable performer for Chelsea since arriving from Marseille nearly a decade ago. During this period, the 32-year-old has played every defensive role for the Blues and has been their club captain following Gary Cahill’s departure three years ago.
To date, the Spanish international has made 471 appearances for Chelsea, chipping in with 17 goals and 56 assists along the way. But Azpilicueta has been heavily linked with a possible departure from Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window, with Barcelona among his prospective suitors.
For a while, it seemed as if the veteran Chelsea defender could leave the west Londoners as a free agent, as his contract was expiring in the summer, and the Blues were unable to hand their players new contracts. But Barcelona’s hopes of signing Azpilicueta in a Bosman move were dashed when Chelsea triggered a one-year option in his contract, which was completely legal.
However, the Catalan giants are not giving up in the pursuit of Azpilicueta, with recent reports claiming they are looking to open talks with Chelsea over a summer move. And according to The Athletic, there is a sense of optimism at FC Barcelona that Azpilicueta will arrive at Camp Nou in the summer.
Amid rampant uncertainties surrounding Chelsea, Barcelona could have the chance to pounce and make Azpilicueta their short-term right-back solution. With Sergino Dest’s future up in the air and Dani Alves yet to pen an extension on his contract, Barcelona might need to sign a right-back in the summer transfer window.
In addition to Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen could also leave Chelsea to join Barcelona. The Dane actually has a higher chance to move to Camp Nou than Azpilicueta. But it will be interesting to see if Barcelona’s confidence transforms into a move for the veteran Spanish defender.
