Azpilicueta set to reject Barca in favour of Chelsea contract extension

FT Desk

• 31 Mar 2022 16:33 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta has agreed a new one-year extension to his contract, according to reports in England.

The Spanish defender’s previous deal was set to expire at the end of the season, with reports linking the 32-year-old talent with a potential move to Barcelona.

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However, according to Sky Sports, Azpilicueta has already accepted an extension to his current deal at Stamford Bridge and will be staying put at Chelsea until at least 2023.

In what will be the first piece of transfer business since the club’s owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the British government, it seems as though Azpilicueta was able to extend his contract in spits of the transfer ban on the club because his extension was triggered by a clause in his contract.

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According to the British broadcasters, the Chelsea defender was due an extension to his deal if he had played a minimum number of games for Thomas Tuchel’s side and it seems as though that threshold has now been met.

Despite getting on in years, the Spanish full-back has been a consistent performer in Tuchel’s side, having made no less than 35 appearances for Chelsea this season.

Although Azpilicueta is now perhaps a back-up to Reece James when Chelsea have a full squad to pick from, the defender is clearly still a vital part of the club’s first team and as such a contract extension saves the club from having to buy another full-back in the summer transfe window.

And it certainly seems as though Azpilicueta is more than happy to continue working under Tuchel at Chelsea.

“I have had a number of managers and some have been very different. All they have in common is that will to win,” said the defender in an interview in January.

“But Thomas is someone who is very calm, but he is also very demanding. He is not happy when things are not going well.

" He always wants more – more success. That is what he has proved with the success he has had and hopefully we can have more in the future.

“Sometimes the results bring confidence and it helps the energy. It is normal that during the season you have rough times and you have to get over them. We, of course, had results that we did not want to have but we have had to keep working hard. But we have won nothing yet and there is still a long way to go.”