"It’s a difficult situation" - Chelsea star offers update on contract negotiations
Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen has given a non-committal update on his contract situation at the club. The Danish international is out of contract at the end of the season, and despite protracted negotiations between the two parties, Christensen is yet to agree a new deal.
In a wide-ranging interview with the club's official website, the defender thanked Thomas Tuchel for the opportunities he had given him but conceded that the contract situation was 'difficult'.
He told the website:
“In the end with Frank Lampard, I struggled to get the game time I wanted, but Thomas came in and knew me from Germany and I got the idea quite early. It has helped me massively."
Chelsea expect Andreas Christensen to move to Barcelona in the summer. Nobody expects a contract extension. A move to Bayern Munich is still possible but his teammates assume he will move to Barcelona. https://t.co/DQ6tbUzsJT
Regarding his contract situation, he added:
"It’s hard because all the talks between the club and my guys, I try to keep it away because I want to focus and it’s not changed for me. I go on the pitch every day not really thinking about it. I leave that to the club and my guys, and I can focus on playing football. I just focus on winning, really. It’s a difficult situation."
Barcelona and Bayern Munich want to sign Christensen in the summer
In November, the defender was left out of the starting line-up for three consecutive games after reportedly backing out from signing a new three-year contract.
After months of negotiations, Chelsea were convinced that a middle ground had been reached after the initial contract extension was shortened from four to three years. However, Christensen and his entourage seemed to make a dramatic U-turn.
It is believed that Christensen's representatives want to first listen to offers from Barcelona and Bayern Munich, who are both interested, before agreeing to any extension at Stamford Bridge.
Andreas Christensen for Chelsea:
- 153 first-team appearances
- Champions League 🏆
- Europa League 🏆
- Club World Cup 🏆
- UEFA Super Cup 🏆
- FA Youth Cup 🏆
- UEFA Youth League 🏆
- Under-21 Premier League 🏆
One of our finest academy products. https://t.co/kJOLxtLVB6
Since joining Chelsea, the 25-year-old has won a number of important trophies and could therefore be looking for a new challenge come this summer.
Until then, Christensen is still a Chelsea player and, after missing last night's Carabao Cup defeat against Liverpool with injury, could be in contention when the Blues play Luton Town in the FA Cup fifth round on March 2.