Chelsea provide Cesar Azpilicueta assurances with Barcelona ‘confident’ over transfer

"Now is not the time" – Azpilicueta quizzed on Chelsea future

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Chelsea will not stand in Cesar Azpilicueta’s way if he decides to leave the club in order to join Barcelona at the end of the season, according to reports. The 32-year-old has been heavily linked with a future move to the Catalan giants in recent months, with his current deal at Stamford Bridge set to expire in the summer as things stand.

It seems as though Chelsea will aim to find a solution that suits all parties in the summer rather than digging their heels in to keep Azpilicueta on their books for the foreseeable future. Club chiefs have already informed the player that he will be allowed to choose whether or not to leave in search of a new challenge without any extra pressure, according to Marca.

The report claims that Chelsea will not be looking to disrupt Azpilicueta’s decision-making process in spite of his contract situation in order to avoid the possibility of souring his long-standing professional relationship with the club. He has been on Barcelona’s wish list since before Xavi was appointed to replace Ronald Koeman as the club’s manager back in November, but the current boss is also said to be desperate to bring him to the Nou Camp.

Xavi is believed to remain ‘confident’ that a deal can be agreed to snap up Azpilicueta, who initially joined Chelsea from Marseille back in 2012. The Blues are said to have an automatic option to renew his contract, but it remains to be seen whether they will be able to finalise a deal given the current financial restrictions in place at Stamford Bridge.

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Azpilicueta is said to be privately weighing up his options before making a firm decision on his future ahead of the summer months. The Spaniard has featured heavily for Chelsea since the beginning of the campaign, having made 35 appearances in all competitions over the course of this season.

One of the many clauses in Azpilicueta’s contract is said to stipulate that his stay at Chelsea will be automatically renewed if he plays in a certain number of matches for the club during his final season. The report claims that the Blues may have already exercised this option before the sanctions against them were introduced earlier this month, meaning that Barcelona could be forced to pay a fee in order to secure his services at the end of the campaign.

However, Azpilicueta is reportedly still in the dark over whether or not he will be a Chelsea player next season and is waiting for the Blues to be sold in April before finding out for certain. He is also said to be keen on meeting with club officials in the near future in order to discuss the situation while Barcelona wait in the wings to launch a move for the defender if it becomes clear that he will be walking away from Chelsea over the coming months.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has already insisted that Azpilicueta remains a hugely important member of his squad when quizzed on the player’s future earlier this year. “He gets better with every game he plays, he’s an example of a leader who leads by example, which is always super nice to have,” said the German coach last month.

“Now he collects so many trophies and has had an incredible career at one club, which is outstanding. He embodies everything that Chelsea stands for, being relentless, being humble, but being a warrior at the same time.

“I don’t think there are people who don’t wish the very best for him and don’t like that he has all these trophies. He deserves it.”

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