Gvardiol, the young Croatian defender, can be the one to unlock Azpilicueta's move to Barça
Chelsea will sit down to negotiate with Barça the transfer of the Spanish player, but first want to find a replacement
The transfer of César Azpilicueta to Barça will be finalized in a matter of days and is set to be accelerated, according to sources familiar with the case. The deal had been put on hold by Chelsea, who had blocked his transfer until they secured the signing of a player with a similar profile, with defensive versatility and able to occupy the centre of defence but also act as a fullback.
Chelsea's choice for Azpilicueta's replacement is the Croatian player from RP Leipzig, Josko Gvardiol. The 20 years old from Zagreb usually plays as a centre-back but can also play as a left-back. He has already featured in ten matches for the Croatian national team. The timing of Azpilicueta's move to Barça will depend on him: the Spanish player has been very sincere with Chelsea's new ownership, which now belongs to Todd Boehly after Abramovich's departure, to whom he has expressed his desire to finish his time with the London based team.
Chelsea, however, has been very reluctant to let Azpilicueta leave, as he remains a fundamental piece in the team, both from a purely footballing perspective and also as a senior figure in the dressing room, and have asked him to rethink his stance. But Azpilicueta, who has received numerous calls from Xavi Hernandez in recent months, has decided to leave the English club. He is in full negotiation with Boehly - and his advisors - and one of the latest messages he has received from the ownership is that they will sit down to discuss his transfer to Barça only when they have a possible replacement in place. The number one candidate is Gvardiol, who started at Dinamo Zagreb's youth academy and has been with RP Leipzig since July 2021.
