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Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta. The Spanish defender is in the final year of his contract at the club and will be a free agent next summer.
With only seven months left on his current deal, Azpilicueta will be free to negotiate a pre-contract with non-English clubs in January. It has alerted several clubs, including Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, to try and sign the Spaniard on a free transfer.
Sport has reported that both clubs are interested in the option as Azpilicueta will add experience to their teams and also come without a transfer price. Back in November, ESPN surfaced news of Barcelona tracking Azpilicueta as a potential target for next summer.
Barcelona are in a state of transition under new coach Xavi
Barcelona parted ways with Ronald Koeman last month after the Dutch coach failed to navigate the club through rough waters. With the club's financial situation being in a poor state, Barcelona turned to one of their own in Xavi Hernandez.
The task is cut out for the former World Cup winner as he takes over one of the weakest Barcelona teams in their recent history. His hands will be further tied owing to the fact that the Catalans do not have a substantial transfer budget to bring in new players.
Xavi will likely have to sell first before buying players or keep signing free agents from the transfer market. This situation has made Barcelona keen to strike a deal for Cesar Azpilicueta.
The Chelsea captain will not only bring experience but quality as well. Moreover, being a Spaniard himself, he will be able to establish himself as a leader in the squad.
Chelsea unlikely to sell their club captain or let him go for free next summer
Chelsea are currently in talks to extend the contract for the majority of their defenders. Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpliicueta are all in the final year of their contracts at the club.
The Blues are likely to find it more difficult to extend the contracts of Christensen and Rudiger. However, deals for Azpilicueta and Silva will be easier for Chelsea to negotiate given their age.
Moreover, Azpilcueta has spent close to nine years at the club and is now the captain at Stamford Bridge. He is highly unlikely to leave the success he has worked for at Chelsea to join the turmoil at Barcelona.
