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| Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea celebrates scoring their 2nd goal during the UEFA Champions League Round Of Sixteen Leg Two match between Lille OSC and Chelsea FC at Stade Pierre-Mauroy on March 16, 2022 in Lille, France. |
Atletico Madrid might have a chance to sign Cesar Azpilicueta, with
Chelsea reportedly unwilling to do business with Barcelona.
According to Futbol Total, Atletico Madrid will have a
good chance of securing the services of Cesar Azpilicueta in the summer
transfer window. Chelsea might not do business with Barcelona after the Blaugrana stole
a march on them in the race to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla.
Cesar Azpilicueta joined Chelsea nearly a decade ago, arriving from
Marseille in 2012. And the Spaniard has been a dependable performer for the
west London club in the last ten years, reprising every role in the defensive
unit while barely putting a foot wrong. In addition, the veteran defender has
been the Chelsea captain since Gary Cahill’s departure a few years ago.
The 32-year-old has made 474 appearances thus far for Chelsea while chipping
in with 17 goals and 56 assists. But Azpilicueta has entered the
final year of his contract and wants to embark on a new adventure in the summer
transfer window. The Spanish international has been on the radar of Barcelona
for a long time, but Atletico Madrid might have a chance of signing him.
The interest from Barcelona is long-standing, with Xavi Hernandez
unconvinced by the displays of Sergino Dest in the second half of the 2021/22
season. And with Dani Alves departing from Camp Nou as a free agent,
Barcelona’s need to sign a new right-back has exacerbated, making Azpilicueta a
viable target.
But while the Spaniard is keen on joining Barcelona,
Chelsea might block a move for him, especially in the wake of some recent
comments by Thomas Tuchel. And according to Futbol Total, Chelsea will prefer
to sell the veteran defender to Atletico Madrid instead of Barcelona this
summer.
However, Atletico Madrid might not need to sign another right-back, with
Nahuel Molina set to bolster Diego Simeone’s right-back options heading into
the 2022/23 season. And with their financial situation being tricky, they will
be better off targeting reinforcements in other areas after securing the
services of Molina.
But with Chelsea and Tuchel unwilling to let the 32-year-old join
Barcelona, it looks like he might remain at Stamford Bridge beyond
the summer transfer window. However, it will be interesting to see if Barcelona
can reverse the tide in the coming weeks.
