How Cesar Azpilicueta could be set to extend his Chelsea contract despite current sanctions on the football club has been revealed.
The Blues’ owner, Roman Abramovich, was placed under sanctions by the UK government for being “associated with a person who is or has been involved in destabilising Ukraine and undermining and threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, namely Vladimir Putin, with whom Abramovich has had a close relationship for decades.”
As part of the sanctions, which are currently in place until May 31st 2022, it is expected that no new contracts can be handed out:
Also: no merchandise sales allowed; no player transfers or new contracts; catering services will be permitted.
— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) March 10, 2022
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How Chelsea could keep Cezar Azpilicueta for another year
This leaves Chelsea in a fairly awkward spot as they have three central defenders – Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta – that are out of contract in the summer.
Losing all three would be a big blow for the west Londoners, especially if they are unable to replace any of them via the transfer market.
However, whilst Rudiger and Christensen cannot sign new deals, it appears Chelsea could be set to keep hold of Azpilicueta for another year.
As explained by Goal, Chelsea have an option to extend Azpilicueta’s contract for another year but it is conditional on his appearances in certain competitions.
And whilst the exact numbers are unknown, it is believed that the defender is close to hitting the figure that would spark a renewal.
Should Azpilicueta stay, that would leave the Spaniard, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr as recognised senior central defenders at Chelsea.
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