Cesar Azpilicueta could be allowed to leave Chelsea on a free transfer this summer, despite his contract being extended by a year.
Azpilicueta had been strongly linked with a move to Barcelona when his current Chelsea deal was due to expire on July 1. But that eventuality, which has been on the cards for much of the season, was placed in doubt on Thursday when it emerged that Azpilicueta had triggered a one-year extension at Stamford Bridge.
The Chelsea captain has made enough appearances this season to trigger an automatic extension until June 2023, meaning a free transfer away from the club is no longer an option. Chelsea are currently operating under severely restricting financial rules after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government following Russia ’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Blues are unable to buy or sell players or offer new contracts until the government and Premier League have overseen Abramovich’s sale to a new owner. However, Azpilicueta is not affected by the limitations because his is not a straightforward contract extension.
Instead, Azpilicueta has simply fulfilled a clause in the contract he signed with Chelsea back in December 2018. Therefore the expenditure was already factored into the club’s financial plans, meaning his extension is not viewed as a new deal – and that is why it is not included in the latest list of intermediary transactions released by the FA this week.
All of this means that, in theory, if Barcelona or any other club wanted to sign Azpilicueta this summer, they would have to pay Chelsea a transfer fee. Currently that is not something which can happen due to the sanctions, but with the club hoping to have the sale completed before the end of the season, the picture could change.
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Yet to make matters even more confusing, it appears that Chelsea might simply allow Azpilicueta to leave the club for free, despite the recent contract extension. The Athletic reports that, under Abramovich’s ownership, the Blues would have been willing to let him walk as a courtesy for his services to the club.
The 32-year-old defender, who has repeatedly refused to comment on his future this season, is a certified Chelsea legend, having made 464 appearances – the seventh-most for the club – since signing for £7million from Marseille in 2012. He has helped win every trophy available during the past 10 years: the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, Europa League, Super Cup and Club World Cup.
Much will now depend on the takeover process. The new owners might want to keep the versatile and reliable defender, or they might honour Abramovich’s word and allow him to leave for pastures new.
If that does happen then Barcelona appears the most likely destination. The Catalan club are undergoing a major recruitment campaign and have also been linked with Chelsea duo Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, whose contracts do expire on July 1.
Christensen is reported to have given his word to Barca manager Xavi about joining the club this summer, while Rudiger’s representative met with sporting director Mateu Alemany and his deputy Jordi Cruyff on Wednesday to discuss a move.
