Barcelona is behind the net with César Azpilicueta. The defender has long been in the spotlight of the Catalan superpower, but has signed a new contract with Chelsea. Azpilicueta is now at Stamford Bridge until mid-2024 and will start his eleventh season with Everton on Saturday visiting Everton. The Blues.
Rumors abounded for weeks. Azpilicueta would go to Barca, which made a three million euro offer for the Spaniard. In early July, chairman Joan Laporta had dinner with Chelsea’s new owner Todd Boehly. During the dinner, among other things, Azpilicueta was extensively discussed. Laporta was reportedly told that Azpilicueta will not come to Camp Nou without compensation, to which the Catalans made an offer of three million euros.
Barca had a two-year deal on hand for the right-back, but now have to watch Azpilicueta sign a new deal with Chelsea. “I am very happy to be able to extend my stay at Chelsea, my home,” the defender said on the club’s website. “It’s been almost ten years since I signed for this club, so I really feel the love. I’m really excited about the new project we have in hand. I’m a proud captain and hope we can achieve even more success together to go.”
Due to the interest, the rumors around Denzel Dumfries will decrease again. The Internazionale right-back was associated with Chelsea due to the Azpilicueta tug-of-war, but now appears to be staying in Milan. According to Spanish media, in recent weeks there has been talk about Frenkie de Jong, Memphis Depay and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who should serve as reinforcements for Thomas Tuchel’s team. Laporta has indicated that he does not want to let De Jong go in any case because of his ongoing contract.
Azpilicueta went through Osasuna’s youth academy and also made his professional football debut there. In 2010, he made the move to Olympique Marseille, where he was snatched by Chelsea two years later. The Spaniard wore the captain’s armband for the English superpower in more than two hundred games and won two national titles in ten years. He also won the Champions League and was twice the strongest in the Europa League with Chelsea.