Chelsea defender could terminate contract to join Serie A club on free transfer: Reports
Chelsea captain Cesar Azpiliceuta could reportedly terminate his contract at Stamford Bridge to join Inter Milan. The Spaniard is open to leaving this summer, and the Serie A side have shown interest.
As per transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio, Inter are keen on signing the defender but are not in a position to pay a fee for him. They are hoping that he can become a free agent and join them on a free transfer.
Azpilicueta signed a new deal at Chelsea last summer after snubbing interest from Barcelona. He penned a two-year deal and has 12 months left on his contract right now.
However, he has not ben playing regularly and could become the third choice right-back and fifth choice center-back next season. He is reportedly keen on playing and Di Marzio has reported that a mutual contract termination is possible.
Inter Milan are not the only side interested in the defender, as BILD linked Bayern Munich with a move earlier this week.
Bayern Munich register interest in Chelsea star
BILD report suggests Thomas Tuchel is a big fan of Cesar Azpiliecuta and has asked the club to sign him as a backup right-back. He sees the Spaniard as the replacement for Benjamin Pavard, who has been linked with Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Speaking to the club's official website after Azpilicueta signed the new contract last summer, Tuchel said:
"I was not surprised because we were part of the process. We are very happy that our captain stays on board. He embodies what Chelsea stands for, he is humble. He is a legend at the club, and he can lead as example. He can keep on doing what he has done for so many years. It is very good news for us."
Tuchel has been a big fan of Azpiliceuta in the 18 months they worked together and pushed the defender to sign a new deal. He was not happy with Barcelona's approach to sign the defender last summer and was quoted by talkSPORT as saying:
"It's a tough question because I am not sure if I want to give Azpi what he wants. At some point it is about what we want. I just made the comparison about how much we fought for Koulibaly, who is a national team player and roughly the same age. He is a hugely important player for Napoli but we have a Spanish international who is the captain at Chelsea. I see him maybe at the same level, but Barcelona don't see him on that level."
Chelsea are open to a sale this summer and are already working on trimming the bloated squad.