Thomas Tuchel paused with his glass to his mouth as the question about Barcelona and Andreas Christensen occurred. He could barely keep the smile from his mouth as he took his drink before, tilting his head in acknowledgement as the Denmark international was referenced.
The Blues boss composed himself with a pause. "We heard the rumours. We heard the same rumours," he said with a laugh. "I have no confirmation for you as I did not speak to Andreas about it at the moment. So, or maybe they... yeah it's like that."
Before the question was asked, it was designated as the final one of the press conference, but the press officer's call of 'we'll leave it there' felt fitting. There were equal measures of assuredness and hesitance in Tuchel's response that spoke volumes over the chances of Christensen turning up at Camp Nou this summer.
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The 25-year-old isn't the only Blues defender connected to the Catalan giants and out of contract this season, with the futures of Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta still not set at Stamford Bridge. It has emerged that the latter's deal has been extended after the club were able to utilise an option in the captain's deal due to the volume of matches he has played this season.
Tuchel said: "I knew it was going to happen because I knew the amount of games before it was going to happen. It was so close. It's a good thing, we were aware of it. It's good news for us. We have a contract, he's our captain, it's a very high possibility he will stay."
While it's not quite a guarantee, with the Blues unable to offer new contracts or complete transfers under their current special licence, it provides a key piece of business for Tuchel. He has remained vital and durable in a season where Chelsea have struggled to keep their wing-backs fit. The Spaniard's future could still remain in his own hands, however. Tuchel's hope and strength of position seems clear however.
The reaction from the former Dortmund when posed with Rudiger's agent meeting with Barcelona was in stark contrast to the Christensen query posed later. Tuchel presented a more confident stance on the German international, acknowledging the club's issues preventing negotiations rather than the actions or intentions of Rudiger's representatives.
Despite how Sahr Senesie, Rudiger's half brother, meeting with Barcelona sporting director Mateu Alemany and his deputy Jordi Cruyff, the 48-year-old coach was almost nonplussed. He simply acknowledged that Rudiger's quality would draw other offers.
Tuchel said: "If it's true, of course. I would try to meet him if I was at any other club. He's still our player, and we still think there's a good chance he stays our player once things are solved. This situation is the situation at the moment, our hands are tied. We cannot speak or negotiate with him and his agent. Fair enough if it's true that he listens to other offers. That's the way things go, but I am still confident."
Despite entering the season with four defenders out of contract, and January with those players able to speak to other clubs, though Thiago Silva's new deal relieved concerns over the Brazilian, perhaps Chelsea could head into 2022/23 with three of those still on their books.
