Chelsea will be facing a fight to keep Cesar Azpilicueta at Stamford Bridge for next season as the full-back is reportedly on Barcelona’s potential list of targets, Telegraph reports.
The Spanish giants are on the edge of losing their long-serving right-back Daniel Alves to Serie A winners Juventus, and are looking for a highly-rated replacement for him, with Azpilicueta one of their favourites.
Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerín has been emerged as Barcelona’s number one target to fill the slot, but the North London club are ready to offer the 21-year-old a new contract at the Emirates to suffocate the Spaniard’s temptation of joining the Catalonian side.
With that in mind, Barcelona are seeking for alternatives for Bellerin, and Azpilicueta is believed to be one of them.
The 26-year-old Spaniard has attracted interest from several other clubs including Athletic Bilbao, who are already weighing up a bid for the player.
Last month the defender had no intention of leaving the club, but didn’t rule out the attractiveness of joining even a bigger club than Chelsea, like Barca for instance.
I plan on staying another few years at Chelsea. I’m very happy there. I’m not thinking about leaving the club. I’m only thinking of (playing for) the Blues.
But if I have to leave it would be for a club where I could develop even more than at Chelsea.
Chelsea losing Azpilicueta would almost certainly force the Blues to the market for a new left-back, as Baba Rahman is unlikely to be awarded a starting place in the team following his difficult beginning to his Chelsea career last season.
