Barcelona are now said to be "confident" of completing a deal for Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta at the end of the season with the Spaniard set to become a free agent.
Talks between the Blues and Azpilicueta have seemingly come to a standstill, leaving the door open for Barcelona to make their move. And the belief in Spain appears to now be that a deal will be agreed in Catalonia.
The 32-year-old will have spent 10 years as a Chelsea player by the summer, winning everything there is to win in that time having added the FIFA Club World Cup to his collection last month.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona are set to offer the player a two-year deal with the option of an extra year. However, he also suggested that the player is yet to make a final decision.
Azpilicueta was the man who lifted the Champions League trophy following Thomas Tuchel's arrival, and his manager has only had good things to say about his captain despite his seemingly imminent departure.
"The plans, most of them are not longer than 10 or 14 days in football and for me as a manager," he said in February.
"But he's super important. He was super important from day one. We had a good connection from the first day, which you always look for as a coach.
"‘He gets better with every game he plays. He's an example of a leader who leads by example, which is always super nice to have.
"Now he collects so many trophies and has had an incredible career at one club, which is outstanding. He embodies everything that Chelsea stands for - being relentless, being humble, but being a warrior at the same time.
"I don't think there are people who don't wish the very best for him and don't like that he has all these trophies. He deserves it."
