Cesar Azpilicueta has extended his Chelsea contract by another year after reaching a predetermined milestone of appearances this season. The Athletic says the defender automatically triggered a one-year extension to his deal that was expiring at the end of the current season after appearing in a certain number of games throughout the campaign.
However, this doesn’t mean that the Chelsea captain won’t be allowed to leave the club, that too for free, at the end of the season; the Blues, similarly, extended Olivier Giroud’s contract by another year before the start of the 2021/22 season but allowed him to leave for AC Milan on a free transfer later in the window.
Should he see out the current length of his contract, the 32-year-old would complete eleven years at Chelsea. The Spaniard joined the club for a meagre 7 million pounds three months fee after their first-ever UEFA Champions League win in 2012; in the decade since he has won every single competitive club trophy there is to win.
Reports claimed that Chelsea had left the decision whether or not to sign an extension with Azpilicueta, and, to add to that, the London club were forced to withdraw from any ongoing contract negotiations – and restricted from commencing new ones – once the government sanctions hit. Nonetheless, the appearance clause in the defender’s previous contract allowed the club to circumvent the negotiation process.
Regardless of the latest developments, Azpilicueta continues to attract interest from FC Barcelona. As per the Guardian, head coach Xavi Hernandez is keen to add the veteran to his budding squad for the subsequent season; to that end, the club has offered the Spain international a two-year deal with an option for another year.
Should he accept Barca’s offer, Azpilicueta will return to the country of his birth after 12 years, after leaving his boyhood club Osasuna for Ligue 1 side Olympique Marseille back in 2010.
