Barcelona are showing interest to sign Chelsea star César Azpilicueta, who has less than six months left on his contract at Stamford Bridge.
Sport on Wednesday explain the Spaniard and his club teammate, Andreas Christensen, are ‘very close’ to the La Liga side. Out of the two, the 32-year-old seems to have ‘almost both feet’ at the Camp Nou.
The Catalan club have already offered the Blues captain a two-year deal, with an option to extend it by further 12 months. Their proposal is better than the one made by Atlético Madrid, who have also shown interest in the versatile defender.
A potential free transfer in the summer is pending because there will be a ‘final meeting’ between the ex-Marseille man and the west London club’s director, Marina Granovskaia.
That’s because the report states the Champions League winners have a ‘right of first refusal on the proposal received by Azpilicueta’.
Despite other claims suggesting Thomas Tuchel’s side have an option to further extend the Spain international’s contract until 2023, Sport say what they ‘really have is a right of first refusal’.
If Chelsea offer a deal better than the one proposed by Barcelona, they can extend the captain’s stay at Stamford Bridge.
Sport claim Azpilicueta’s camp are ‘clear’ that this [Chelsea offering a better deal] will not happen. They further explain the player will ‘wear the Barca shirt’ next season, where he will become an ‘important reinforcement’ for Xavi Hernández.
