La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are reportedly hopeful of securing the services of Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta in the summer transfer window.
According to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea will let Cesar Azpilicueta join Barcelona in the summer transfer window once they secure the services of a replacement. The Catalan giants are increasingly optimistic about landing the Chelsea ace ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Cesar Azpilicueta has been with Chelsea for a decade and has made massive strides in his career during this period. The Spaniard has been one of the biggest assets for the west London club due to his ability to reprise every role in the defensive unit. At the same time, his leadership qualities have been essential in enabling Chelsea to achieve sustained success in the last ten years.
The Chelsea captain has turned out 474 times for the Blues thus far, chipping in with 17 goals and 56 assists. But after entering the final year of his contract with Chelsea, the 32-year-old will likely depart from Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window. And Azpilicueta hopes to join Barcelona in the coming weeks.
The Catalan giants have been hot on the heels of Azpilicueta for several months, with the two parties already agreeing to personal terms. The Chelsea ace is ready to sign a two-year deal with Barcelona, but convincing the west Londoners to sell the Spanish international has proven to be a tall order.
Barcelona and Chelsea are in direct contact with new round of talks now scheduled to discuss about César Azpilicueta. Barça want to speed up the negotiation. ??? #FCB
Azpi, waiting for club’s agreement as Barça contract proposal is into his hands since March: deal until 2024. pic.twitter.com/okDgo5ANHV
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 19, 2022
Barcelona’s need to sign Azpilicueta this summer has accentuated at the turn of the month, as Dani Alves has departed from Camp Nou as a free agent. The Brazilian’s exit has left Xavi Hernandez with Sergino Dest and Sergi Roberto as the only right-back options at his disposal.
But neither player exudes a lot of confidence, prompting Barcelona to consider signing Azpilicueta as a short-term solution for the right-back berth. Recent reports have claimed that the Catalan giants are preparing an offer to prise the 32-year-old away from Chelsea. And according to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona’s optimism about signing Azpilicueta is rising.
It will be interesting to see if Barcelona will manage to secure the veteran full-back’s services after tailing him for months. Chelsea will readily offload the club captain if they sign a replacement soon, and it will be interesting to see how quickly that materialises.
