After the 55 million euros finalisation of Ferran Torres, Barca continued to move forward with the transfer process. On December 29, RAC1 authoritative Barca reporter Romero, World Sports and other media revealed that Barca have reached an agreement with Chelsea captain Azpilicueta (AZP), if there is no huge turnaround, next summer, the 32-year-old AZP will be free to join Barca!
On his personal social platform, RAC1's Barcelona journalist Romero wrote:
Cesar Azpilicueta is very close to Barca. Barca have reached an agreement with the players themselves, and next June, the AZP will come to Barca. At present, only a very small part of the details need to be further explored between the two sides.
World Sports also followed up to confirm that Barca have been in contact with Azpilicueta's agent in the past few weeks, and if there is no big surprise and reversal, Azpilicueta will become a member of Barca next season.
Born on 28 August 1989, Azpilicueta is the current captain of Chelsea and the spiritual leader of the team. In the 2020-21 Champions League, Chelsea won the title and AZP lifted the Champions League trophy. The 32-year-old AZP is a all-rounder at the back, playing as a right-back and also making cameo appearances at left-back. In the 433 system, AZP played right centre-back as steady as Tarzan. Born in Pamplona, Spain, AZP returned home to play at the end of his football career and was also a reasonable choice.
There's a statistic that proves Azpilicueta's solidity: after joining Chelsea in the summer of 2012, AZP never made a fatal mistake in a Premier League match, causing the team to concede a goal. Even Liverpool's Van Dijk did not achieve this feat. For Barca, getting AZP means having a defensive leader who is much better than Lenglet and Sergi Roberto.
As a Spanish international, Azpilicueta and Barca coach Xavi, 4 captains Busquets, Pique, Sergi Roberto, Alba are all acquaintances, there is no problem in integrating into Barca.
AZP's contract with Chelsea expires on June 30 next year, and on January 1, Barca can sign an early contract with AZP. Although AZP is a 32-year-old veteran, Barca can get champions without spending a penny, which is definitely an ideal deal. At the valuation of the German transfer website, AZP is estimated at 11 million euros - for Barca, visa-free AZP is equivalent to picking up 11 million euros in vain.