Barcelona ready to snap up Chelsea defender in the summer | OneFootball

Over the last year, Chelsea have gone from one of the worst defences in Europe to the best. And a majority of it comes down to the genius of Thomas Tuchel. And while his players may not be the best defenders in terms of individual ability, Tuchel knows how to bring the best out of them with his tactics.

One of these is captain Cesar Azpilicueta. The Spaniard is not an outright CB, or a full-throttle offensive right-back, but he fits perfectly on the right in a three-man backline.

A Chelsea legend without doubt, Azpilicueta’s contract is set to expire in June and Barcelona are ready to pounce on the chance to sign him, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Despite having six centre-backs in their arsenal, Barcelona are aiming to sign another one in the coming summer window to strenghten their backline. Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde, and like always, Matthijs de Ligt are the names that have come up in light of the same.

The obvious flaw in their plans, however, is the severe lack of funding. Barelona cannot afford to sign most of the players they target, and might have to stick to either free transfers – like Christensen, Azpilicueta -, or improvisations from Xavi.

Moreover, by the look of the things, Xavi and co. have prioritised the signing of a forward in the summer. Most recently, Ferran Torres has been stongly linked with a move, but players like Raheem Sterling and Karim Adeyemi are still among the mix.

All said and done, though, there is a month left till the January window, where most of the moves will start to progress. Either way, a rollercoaster awaits for Barça fans.