Chelsea captain Azpilicueta shuts down future talk amid Barcelona offer: 'It's not the time or place'

Cesar Azpilicueta is refusing to talk about his future as his contract at Chelsea nears its end.

The Blues captain could leave the club in a free transfer at the end of the season, although the Stamford Bridge side are set to activate a clause to extend his deal for one more year.

Barcelona are plotting a bid to sign the 32-year-old this summer, but Azpilicueta is not ready to discuss where he will end up next term.

Azpilicueta was asked at a press conference on Wednesday if he will stay at Chelsea or make the switch to Camp Nou.

"This is not the time or place to talk about the future," Azpilicueta said.

"If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the pandemic and with Chelsea’s current situation it’s that we have to live the day to day, live the moment. Now is the time to focus on the selection."

The uncertainty surrounding Azpilicueta's future comes amid a difficult period for Chelsea.

The UK government's sanctions against Roman Abramovich have resulted in a host of problems as the Russian owner has been forced to sell the club, while they are not allowed to sell tickets and limits have been placed on how much they can spend on travelling to matches.

Asked about the situation, Azpilicueta said: "At Chelsea we are living in a time of great uncertainty, but the players and the coaching staff can only do one thing, which is to prepare as best as possible for the matches.

"In fact, after the sale of the club was announced, we achieved good results. The rest is not in our hands."