Chelsea could let Cesar Azpilicueta leave for free despite contract extension confusion

Cesar Azpilicueta could be allowed to leave Chelsea on a free transfer this summer, despite his contract being extended by a year.

Azpilicueta had been strongly linked with a move to Barcelona when his current Chelsea deal was due to expire on July 1. But that eventuality, which has been on the cards for much of the season, was placed in doubt on Thursday when it emerged that Azpilicueta had triggered a one-year extension at Stamford Bridge.

The Chelsea captain has made enough appearances this season to trigger an automatic extension until June 2023, meaning a free transfer away from the club is no longer an option. Chelsea are currently operating under severely restricting financial rules after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government following Russia ’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Blues are unable to buy or sell players or offer new contracts until the government and Premier League have overseen Abramovich’s sale to a new owner. However, Azpilicueta is not affected by the limitations because his is not a straightforward contract extension.

Instead, Azpilicueta has simply fulfilled a clause in the contract he signed with Chelsea back in December 2018. Therefore the expenditure was already factored into the club’s financial plans, meaning his extension is not viewed as a new deal – and that is why it is not included in the latest list of intermediary transactions released by the FA this week.

All of this means that, in theory, if Barcelona or any other club wanted to sign Azpilicueta this summer, they would have to pay Chelsea a transfer fee. Currently that is not something which can happen due to the sanctions, but with the club hoping to have the sale completed before the end of the season, the