Just in: Chelsea captain agrees to a three-year contract with Barcelona

According to a report published by SPORT, Barcelona have reached an agreement with Cesar Azpilicueta over a three-year deal if he arrives on a free transfer.

Azpilicueta is tempted by Barça’s offer, and after a decade of service with the Blues, he will push for a move to the Catalan capital. He will look to take advantage of Chelsea’s unfortunate sanction and hope that the club allows him to leave after years of professionalism.

Chelsea do have an option to unilaterally extend the Spaniard’s contract, but might not be able to pull that into action. The UK government has disallowed the club from extending any contracts or signing new players.

Barcelona already, reportedly, have a deal in place with Andreas Christensen, who is going to arrive as the first signing of the summer.

And when you consider Antonio Rudiger’s contract situation, Thomas Tuchel’s team could have to deal with a triple blow in the defence.