Tuchel 'unsurprised' by imminent Christensen departure with defender in advanced talks with Barcelona

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has admitted he is not surprised to see defender Andreas Christensen closing in on a move to Barcelona.

Christensen's contract at Stamford Bridge expires at season's end and despite Chelsea's efforts to re-sign him, the Denmark international is now reported to have reached a pre-contract agreement with Barcelona.

Tuchel has lamented the 25-year-old's likely departure, but insisted the Blues made a competitive offer to keep him in London.

"I'm not surprised, I know the reasons for it and that was not ideal," Tuchel said.

"He did not play so much before so did not have the role he had, and then he played his hand. He was then suddenly very important and suddenly had that chance to have a contract running out and now he's taking advantage of that situation.

"Do we like it as a club? No, but he's under contract and he has the right to do so and he does, whether we like it or not.

"I think for Andreas we have unbelievably much to offer, it is the club where he came through the academy and I think he has a lot also to appreciate where he is right now.

"In his particular case we have an awful lot to offer because now is the crucial moment to step up and be a huge player with this history. But it's not my decision and I'm not the agent."

Christensen's likely departure has led some to suggest that the Blues should have simply upped their offer to meet the defender's demands.

Tuchel, though, has hit back at those suggestions, saying Chelsea must stay within their wage structure to avoid a knock-on effect on other players.

"I think that Chelsea pay also very good money. And if players these days run out of contract, there is sometimes a package of money that we cannot match. And if we match it it