Christensen says goodbye to Chelsea while awaiting Barcelona announcement
Andreas Christensen has officially said goodbye to Chelsea. The central defender has put an end to his time at the London club and is now waiting for Barcelona to announce his arrival. The Catalan club need to reduce their wage bill to make room for the two signings they have already made: the Danish defender and Franck Kessie. Both arrive on a free transfer as their contract expires on June 30. Christensen has played for Chelsea for the last five seasons, although this was his second spell, having also played for the Blues before joining Borussia Monchengladbach. The 26-year-old Danish centre-back made 30 appearances this season, scoring one goal. Barcelona closed the deal weeks ago, but have not yet confirmed his signing because they need to reduce the wage bill before they can register him. The same goes for Kessie, a midfielder whose contract with Milan is coming to an end and whose signing has also been finalised by the management of the Spanish giants. Barcelona are in talks with the London outfit because they also have aspirations to bring in both Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta.
Andreas Christensen’s Chelsea exit confirmed ahead of Barcelona switch
Andreas Christensen spent 10 years at Stamford Bridge (PA) Chelsea have confirmed defender Andreas Christensen will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the month. The Denmark international is expected to join LaLiga giants Barcelona following 10 years at Stamford Bridge. He had not played for the Blues since withdrawing himself from selection on the morning of the FA Cup final against Liverpool. Defender Jake Clarke-Salter and midfielders Danny Drinkwater and Charly Musonda will also depart the Premier League club this summer, while Antonio Rudiger’s free transfer switch to Real Madrid has already been announced. Christensen joined Chelsea’s academy from Danish club Brondby in 2012 and was loaned to Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach between 2015 and 2017. The 26-year-old scored twice in 161 Blues appearances, winning the Champions League, Europa League and FIFA Club World Cup. “Chelsea Football Club thanks Andreas for his contribution to our success in the last decade and wishes him well in his future career,” read a statement on the Blues’ website. Former England international Drinkwater arrived in west London from Leicester in 2017 for a fee in the region of £35million. The 32-year-old managed only 23 outings for the Blues during an unsuccessful spell and was loaned out to Burnley, Aston Villa, Turkish club Kasimpasa and Reading. Belgian Musonda, 25, was restricted to just seven first-team appearances for Chelsea, scoring once, while ex-England Under-21 international Clarke-Salter played twice during a 16-year association with the club.
Andreas Christensen leaves Chelsea amid Barcelona links
Chelsea have confirmed that defender Andreas Christensen will leave the club at the end of his contract later this month. The Denmark international has been linked with a move to Barcelona, and the writing appeared to be on the wall when he recently ruled himself out of Chelsea’s FA Cup final defeat to Liverpool for “private” reasons. The Premier League side have also confirmed the imminent departures of Danny Drinkwater, Charly Musonda and Jake Clarke-Salter, in addition to Antonio Rudiger who had already been announced to be signing for Real Madrid at the start of next month. A decade at the Bridge Christensen joined Chelsea as a youth player from Brondby in 2012, before spending two seasons on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach between 2015 and 2017. He made 161 appearances for the Blues, winning the Europa League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in his time at Stamford Bridge. Drinkwater also leaves Chelsea after an underwhelming five years at the club, having signed for a reported £35million in 2017 from Leicester City. The midfielder made just 23 appearances in all, while also being sent on loan moves to Burnley, Aston Villa, Kasimpasa and Reading.
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