The Navarrese defender, who will turn 33 in August, has a verbal agreement with the Catalan club. Talks between the parties began months ago, before Xavi Hernández took over the first team bench to replace Ronald Koeman. Azpi believes that he has already finished a ten-year stint in the Premier League and is looking forward to returning to the league to face the final stretch of his career at the Camp Nou. That is why it has always provided facilities for understanding. The problem comes with his departure from Chelsea, which is complicated by Abramovich offside and an automatic renewal clause until 2023 that should be executed because he has played more than 30 official commitments this season. With the Russian owner without powers, Azpilicueta cannot manage his friendly departure – a bit like what Xavi did when he left Al-Sadd – to join Barça. So, like that de facto he would have another year of contract, he could only change his mind if Barça paid a transfer to acquire him, which he did not plan to do and which, at the moment, Chelsea do not have the power to manage.
Christensen, no problems to get out
The operation, which was a priori easier to negotiate for Barça, has become a small headache for the Ukrainian war and the consequences it has on Chelsea’s management. For the time being, the Catalan club is looking forward to seeing how the situation in England evolves and is confident that Azpilicueta will find a way to get rid of a contract that is in force by virtue of an automatic renewal. The wait, however, will not be eternal, because the sports management wanted to have the issue resolved as soon as possible and will have to look for alternatives in case there is no solution. In Xavi’s plans, the Navarrese defender would come to fulfill his functions as a right winger, but without losing sight of his ability to act as a center-back. Egarenc sees him as compatible with Andreas Christensen, another Chelsea player that Barça has in store for next season. Negotiations with the Dane have been more complicated, but they did not have the small print that is now being entrenched with Azpi.
However, from the international environment with the absolute ensure that there has not yet been effective confirmation of this extension clause. What is clear is that the operation has been twisted by the particular situation of Chelsea, which also affects top European players who have a contract in force such as Havertz, Lukaku or Mount, or one of the best coaches on the continent , Thomas Tuchel, who at a press conference keeps saying that his team will continue to play “as long as there are shirts”. Right now his future at Stamford Bridge draws doubts that they did not have with Abramovich. Christensen or Rudiger, who end their contract on June 30, have fewer problems. The former has everything to do with Barça, who will pay him a high salary to save the signing bonus, while the latter has several options on the table to continue playing in the elite of football. At the same time, Barça’s managers are working to renew Ronald Araujo, a priority operation for Xavi but which is being fought in the offices because there are Premier League clubs that offer a lot more money to the Uruguayan.
