Chelsea has the option to extend Cesar Azpilicueta’s contract by another year, placing an obstacle in the way of Barcelona's plans to sign one of their primary transfer targets.
Barcelona has so far prioritized finding an agreement with the 32-year-old but will have to address Chelsea directly after a contract option was made known to GOAL.com.
Still, it is understood that the clause has yet to be activated and that the Catalan club remains confident about its approach after offering the Blues captain a two-year contract with an option for a third season.
Can Chelsea keep Cesar Azpilicueta?
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel would ideally like to see the Spain international stay at Stamford Bridge beyond his current deal.
However, the club are reluctant to offer better terms than a one-year rolling contract.
It has ensured there is an understanding from all parties that Azpilicueta has earned the right to choose the best future for himself and his family after an incredibly successful time in west London.
Through lifting the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi as captain, Azpilicueta became the first Chelsea player to win a clean sweep of all available honors and, with his legendary status assured, the Blues would allow his move to Camp Nou should he push for it.
Would Azpilicueta leave Chelsea?
Across a 10-year Chelsea career, Azpilicueta has made an incredible 460 appearances for the club, scoring 15 goals and assisting 56. His nearly 40,000 minutes for the Blues has established the Spaniard as an all-time great at Stamford Bridge.
Azpilicueta has been cautious about forcing the issue at this stage as he doesn't want talk of his future to distract from the club's aims. Still, according to the GOAL report, Chelsea would allow Azpilicueta to leave should he desire, without triggering the contract clause, conceding that the player has earned the right to decide his own future after such a glittering Blues career.
His situation may end up being similar to the one that saw Olivier Giroud join AC Milan last summer. The Blues had an option in his contract for an extra year so negotiated a nominal fee which was initially under $1 million.
According to a report by UK site 90min, Azpilicueta would be open to staying at Chelsea, but only if the Blues match his contract offered by Barcelona. The GOAL report states that Chelsea has only been comfortable with offering a rolling one-year deal, which offers the 32-year-old far less security.
