Ex-Blues star claims Chelsea defender’s move to La Liga is ‘almost done’

Cesc Fabregas drops hints on where Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta would end up next summer

While talking on Gerard Romero’s Twitch show Jijantes (h/t Football.London), Cesc Fabregas hinted that Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta is close to joining Barcelona in the summer transfer window.

Azpilicueta is one of Chelsea’s most coveted stars. From a young inexperienced centre-back to becoming the Blues captain, the Spaniard has come a long way since joining us from Marseille in 2012.

Even though he is in his 30s, the quality of his performances hasn’t decreased and he continues to be a big part of our backline. The 32-year-old has already featured in 30 games across all competitions in this campaign, bagging one goal and three assists in the process.

Even though there shouldn’t be any problem regarding his performances, his contract situation has attracted significant media speculation in recent times. Azpilicueta is yet to sign a contract extension despite knowing that his current deal will end this summer.

Amidst such a situation, Catalan giants FC Barcelona have shown an interest in signing the veteran central defender. Their financial woes are no secret, and hence, getting Azpilicueta on a free would undoubtedly be a favourable deal for them. 

Fabregas, who played for the Blues between 2014 and 2019, has now suggested that his fellow countryman’s move to Barcelona is ‘almost done.’ This would certainly ring alarm bells in the ears of Chelsea fans. 

Chelsea set to lose Cesar Azpilicueta?

Now at AS Monaco, Fabregas played with Azpilicueta during his time at the club and they also shared the dressing room when representing Spain. So, his words may well have some truth behind them considering he could be a person who is in the know. 

A gladiator at the back, Azpilicueta showed his worth this weekend when he played the full 120 minutes against Brazilian side Palmeiras. The ex-Marseille man played down the right-hand side of the pitch, deputizing for the injured Reece James.

This underlines his versatility and importance at the club, and he certainly has a lot still left in his tanker. Our club would do well to keep Azpi here beyond this summer, but with each passing week, the summer window gets closer.

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Once the Spaniard becomes a free agent on paper, there is nothing we would be able to do. With Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger in the same boat, our board has to take a quick call on what they envisage for our club’s defence in the near future.