César Azpilicueta of Chelsea was the target of a fierce pursuit by Barcelona last summer, and the Blues did everything in their power to keep him at the club.
It turns out that a year later, the 33-year-old may find himself in an entirely different situation at Stamford Bridge, according to the Camp Nou team.
As a result of Todd Boehly’s acquisition of Chelsea, Azpilicueta ‘has no place’ in the team’s plans, according to a story in the Catalan publication Sport Today.
The Spaniard is reported to have “lost prominence” at the club and has turned into one of the “expendable” players on the Blues roster.
Given that he has missed both of Chelsea’s matches against Real Madrid, Azpilicueta has only played 1410 minutes for the Blues this season. This sends a clear signal to any interested clubs.
Barcelona is said to “still consider” him, especially since they intend to fill the right-back position with an experienced player in the next campaign.
According to Sport, Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff, the managers of Barcelona, visited Stamford Bridge last week to “allegedly” handle other business. However, it appears Azpilicueta may once again be a target for the La Liga giants.
His contract with Chelsea expires in 2024.