Revealed: The clause that could prevent Barca signing Azpilicueta
Robin Bairner
- 11 Feb 2022 08:57 CST
- 3 min read
Barcelona are continuing to seek bargains in the transfer market, with Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta one of the players they are targeting in the summer.
Eager to strengthen the centre of their defence with an experienced and low-cost player, Azpilicueta would apparently tick plenty of boxes for the Camp Nou side.
However, snatching the defender away from Chelsea might not be as straightforward as it appears for a player whose deal is up at the end of the season.
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Barcelona have reportedly been in contact with Azpilicueta for several weeks, with the intention of signing him in the summer. Barca are attracted by his ability to play in the middle of a defensive three but also the cover he can provide on the right, where Serginho Dest and Sergi Roberto have both struggled in recent times.
Signing the Spain international on a Bosman move may not be possible, however.
The Giroud example
According to Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea have a clause in the player’s contract that means they can unilaterally extend Azpilicueta’s deal for one additional year with any need for consent from the player.
The upshot of this is that Azpilicueta’s future remains in Chelsea’s hands until 2023, by which time Barca will surely have found another solution.
The Premier League club, of course, will happily take out their option of an extension if it prevents the player from departing on a free transfer when they might receive some fee for him.
Indeed, they have previous history of pulling off such a trick, having extended Olivier Giroud’s contract last summer before selling him to Milan when they had no intention of keeping him.
Azpilicueta finds himself in a similar situation.
Of course, Chelsea will not be in a position to ask for a huge fee – Giroud, for instance, moved for just €2.4 million (£2m) - but even such a relatively small sum may put cash-strapped Barcelona off Azpilicueta.
