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Cesar Azpilicueta recalls his unsuccessful transfer to Barcelona.
Spain defender Cesar Azpilicueta has disclosed why he did not join Barcelona in the summer and instead remained at Chelsea.
During the 2021/22 season, Barça sought Azpilicueta vigorously along with fellow Blues defender Marcos Alonso; however, while the left-back ultimately moved to Camp Nou, Chelsea’s captain did not.
Ahead of Spain’s World Cup round of 16 match against Morocco, Azpilicueta, who recently signed a new two-year contract at Stamford Bridge, gave an explanation of his side of the story.
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“At Chelsea I played less than 30 games [last season] and I was already a free agent. It had never happened to me in my life. The new owners arrived and showed me that they wanted me to stay,” he said.
“London is my home and my children speak better English than Spanish. When I made the decision, I think Xavi understood. If things are clear, they are understood.”
Azpilicueta has appeared on the field for Chelsea 17 times so far this year and has continued to feature frequently under new manager Graham Potter.
He has participated in Spain’s two World Cup games thus far in the competition, most notably providing an assist in their loss to Japan.