César Azpilicueta has a year left on his contract at Chelsea and is attracting interest from a few clubs, including Athletic Club Bilbao.
The La Liga side have lost Iñigo Martínez, who’s set to join Barcelona on a free transfer. They are in the market for a new defender and Azpilicueta has been identified as a target.
Saturday’s AS states the 33-year-old’s exit from Chelsea could ‘take place’ in the summer window and Athletic ‘contemplate signing’ him.
It’s suggested the Blues, who are planning to restructure their squad, could allow the versatile defender leave after they failed to qualify for Europe next season.
AS say Athletic are aware it’s going to be a complex operation to sign the Chelsea player. If they were to take him, it’ll be on the same formula [loan with an option to buy] they used to bring Ander Herrera from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
On Friday, Sportmediaset stated the Spaniard has asked Chelsea to terminate his contract so that he can join Inter Milan on a free transfer. It was also said he’s set to undergo medical tests with the Serie A side in the next few days.
Athletic will have to act fast if they wish to sign the Chelsea defender in this window.
