Cesar Azpilicueta has explained his decision to snub a move to Barcelona in the summer to put pen to paper on a new deal at the Bridge.
The Blues skipper was linked with a switch to Camp Nou after spending 10 years in west London as the Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez eyed up a move for Azpilicueta on a free transfer ahead of the start of the 2022-23 campaign.
Azpilicueta, however, ended up agreeing on new terms with Chelsea and the Spanish defender has claimed in an interview with AS that the new owners at the club were crucial to his decision to commit his future at Stamford Bridge.
“At Chelsea I played less than 30 games and I was already a free agent.
“It had never happened to me in my life. But the new owners arrived and they showed me the desire to stay with me.
“London is my home and my children speak English better than Spanish.
“When I made the decision I think Xavi understood it. If things are clear, they are understood.”
Chelsea’s defensive lineup saw notable departures in the summer with Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Marcos Alonso leaving the Blues to move to the La Liga with Real Madrid and Barcelona snapping them up.
The west Londoners, meanwhile, splashed the cash on two new centre-backs in Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana followed by the signing of the Spanish wing-back Marc Cucurella from Brighton.
