Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has made an honest admission regarding his contract extension at the club, admitting it would have been selfish to join FC Barcelona.
The 32-year-old signed a contract extension, seeing him remain with the club until 2024 after rumours regarding his future.
It was heavily reported that Xavi was keen to recruit Azpilicueta to his Barcelona side, with personal terms believed to have been agreed with the defender.
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Chelsea’s new owners, the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium, were keen to keep their skipper as they settled into life at Stamford Bridge.
They won the battle for Azpilicueta, with the Spaniard penning a contract extension and subsequent payrise to see him remain at the club.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Azpilicueta opened up on his decision to remain a Chelsea player amid the interest from Barcelona this summer.
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"I always stayed committed to the club, it's how I've been since day one," he said.
“This is my home and I never took the selfish decision (to leave Chelsea).”
Azpilicueta continued to reveal the moment that made him consider his future, after lifting the Club World Cup, becoming the first Chelsea player to win every competition in the clubs history.
"After the Club World Cup, I shared my feelings (about leaving), it was never a decision about contract years or wages,” he continued.
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“I expressed my feelings and then everything changed with the ownership and sanctions. "I dealt with the situation in my own way.
“We had honest conversations and I'm really proud to be the Chelsea captain and I'm looking forward for the next years. I decided that the best thing for everybody was to stay."
Despite his decision to stay at the club, Thomas Tuchel is keen to bring in further defensive reinforcements this summer.
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Kalidou Koulibaly has already arrived, while Wesley Fofana has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea after Leicester are now open to selling the defender.
Tuchel admitted that Fofana would be brought in to play in a different position to Azpilicueta butrefused to discuss speculation linking his side to the Frenchman, saying: “I will not comment. No matter how good your question may be, I will not comment,”
“We could use one more central defender.
"If you look at the numbers and we play with a back three. The profile of the guys in the three is a little bit different, I admit. “Playing with Azpi, more a fullback than central defender. Cucurella it’s possible.”
Topics: Chelsea, Cesar Azpilicueta, Barcelona, Football
Nick Emms