Prospective Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is set to be handed the first challenge of his imminent tenure with Cesar Azpilicueta set to demand he keep a promise made by Roman Abramovich. Azpilicueta's contract is set to expire in the summer but there is an option to extend the deal for an extra term.
Thomas Tuchel is already facing a defensive crisis ahead of the summer transfer window. The German has already confirmed Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen will leave at the end of the campaign with free transfers to Real Madrid and Barcelona on the cards, while the future of Marcos Alonso also remains up in the air.
Another player whose future remains up in the air is club captain Cesar Azpilicueta. The Spaniard will have been a Chelsea player for 10 years come the summer but he appears eager to move away and take on a fresh challenge.
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But when Tuchel was asked about the future of his captain at the start of April, he appeared adamant that Azpilicueta would remain a Chelsea player next season: "Yes, absolutely. We have a contract, he's our captain, so there's a very high probability that he will stay. I knew it all the time that this is very likely to happen.
"He's a regular starter for us. You know how much I rely on him and how much impact he has on this club and this group. So, it's very good for us."
However, that does not appear to be the attitude of Azpilicueta. According to a report from Spanish outlet Sport, via Sport Witness, the 32-year-old had a verbal agreement with Roman Abramovich that he would be allowed to leave on a free transfer this summer, with Barcelona the favourites to land him.
Due to the takeover drama that has engulfed the second half of Chelsea's season, it remains to be seen whether the consortium takeover led by Todd Boehly will also honour that agreement. It appears that Tuchel wants to hang on to Azpilicueta but they risk upsetting a club legend in the process if they choose to trigger the extension clause in the deal.
