Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed at a press conference that team captain and Barcelona target, Cesar Azpilicueta will remain at the Blues until June 2023. The Spaniard's current contract expires this June, but he has agreed to extend it for another season.
"Yes, he was close to extending the contract before, but now it has happened. Great news for us. The chances of him staying at Chelsea are high," Tuchel said.
The Premier League outfit can not officially extend the contract of the defender at least until they get a new owner. However, the veteran has reportedly informed the Blues hierarchy that he will wait for bureaucratic issues to be solved.
How Azpilicueta could move to Barcelona as free agent despite renewing with Chelsa
With Azpilicueta's contract at Chelsea officially expiring on July 1, he had been widely expected to move to the Catalan giants' ranks. The player's one-year contract extension at Stamford Bridge has cast doubt on that outcome. Now any team that wants to acquire the 32-year-old this summer would theoretically have to pay Chelsea a transfer fee.
It's now impossible because of the sanctions, but that might change if the deal is finalized before the season's end as planned. Adding to the confusion, it looks like the Stamford Bridge side may still let Azpilicueta join the Blaugrana as a free agent, despite the contract renewal.
Chelsea would have been happy to let him go as a thank you for his service if Roman Abramovich had still owned the club. The takeover procedure is now the most important factor. English publication The Athletic reports that the new owners could retain the versatile centre-back, or they could honor Abramovich's promise and let him leave for other opportunities.