Barcelona tell Cesar Azpilicueta he will have to force Chelsea exit amid transfer frustration

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Barcelona's frustration is growing and they want Cesar Azpilicueta to hand in a transfer request to progress any potential move, according to reports.

The Catalans are looking to add the Chelsea defender, who himself is keen on a return to his homeland. Azpilicueta saw a contract clause result in his deal being extended last term, giving him another 12 months at Stamford Bridge.

Barcelona want Azpilicueta to force his exit from London with the player, so far, unable to talk his way out of the club. The Spaniard is reluctant to hand in a transfer request, which could burn many of his bridges and taint his Chelsea legacy, but the Nou Camp outfit are prepared to consider other options if no progress is made.

Thomas Tuchel has said that he will sit down with his captain to discuss their next move but Barcelona want the situation resolved quickly, rather than a drawn out saga, reports The Sun. Dani Alves recently departed the Nou Camp leaving Xavi light in that area.

Tuchel has confessed, as the club enter a new era with new owners, that perhaps Azpilicueta's spell at the club may have come to a natural end. He said: "We had a lot of these talks because I think it felt like he won everything after the Club World Cup so I can understand these thoughts, that maybe a cycle is at its end. Then there’s also a change of ownership and he played only under