Skipper Cesar Azpilicueta could be retained by Chelsea beyond the summer despite speculation rife over the defender’s Stamford Bridge future.
The veteran Spaniard is out of contract in the English capital come the end of the season and has been heavily linked with a move to Camp Nou with Barcelona keeping close tabs on his transfer status.
A report from the Spanish news outlet Marca, however, has now suggested that Azpilicueta is mulling over extending his stay in the colours of Chelsea with the Blues in line to activate a clause in the player’s contract for another year.
Thomas Tuchel was staring at a defensive exodus from his ranks this coming summer with Azpilicueta along with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen nearing the close of their deals with the Stamford Bridge camp.
The Chelsea boss had been linked with some of the biggest names across Europe in Sevilla’s Jules Kounde and Juventus star Matthijs de Ligt with the former a longstanding name on Tuchel’s shopping list.
