Barcelona are reportedly close to signing Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta as their fifth summer signing.
The 32-year-old defender has been with the Catalan giants "for a long time," according to Spanish journalist Alex Pintanel. He wrote on Twitter: "AZPILICUETA has evolved. Signing him is a real possibility. Long-term agreement with the player. Chelsea shares close positions."
Azpilicueta will join former Blues teammate Andreas Christensen if he joins Barcelona in the coming days. The Danish center-back left Chelsea on a free transfer at the end of June.
Christensen joined Barcelona alongside Frank Kessie of AC Milan and Raphinha of Leeds United. Robert Lewandowski, of Bayern Munich, is also expected to join the Catalans.
For months, speculation has swirled about Azpilicueta's future, despite the fact that his current Chelsea contract expires in a year. Since joining the Blues from Marseille in 2012, the Spain international has been an incredible servant. He has since made 476 appearances for the West London club.
Azpilicueta, who can play anywhere in the defense, has won every major award available to him at Chelsea. This includes two Premier League titles as well as the Champions League in 2021.
Thomas Tuchel updates Chelsea fans on Azpilicueta amid Barcelona speculation.
This summer, the Blues have already lost Christensen to Barcelona and Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid. Speaking of them, Blues manager Thomas Tuchel has provided an update on how his team's defense will look next season.
Tuchel, according to Football.London, stated: "We need at least two centre-backs to replace Andreas and Toni. We currently have Azpi in our squad and are planning with him, but there are discussions going on about his personal situation and what we want. We will be completely honest with you, so that makes three."
He admitted that they need a large squad to compete for trophies next season and that more defenders must be signed.
He continued: "Trevoh (Chalobah) then stepped forward and played a significant role. He will be given more responsibility if he improves. Hopefully, he will take that. But we still require a large squad. Otherwise, we will not be able to compete."
The two-time European champions have made some progress in closing the gap at the back. Over the weekend, they confirmed the signing of Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
blogpay
