César Azpilicueta remained loyal to Chelsea last summer. As the defensive all-rounder reveals to ‘The Athletic’, he also had offers from other clubs on the table: “I could have signed a contract in January to go to a team abroad on a free transfer in the summer, but I never intended to. I wanted to help the club in a difficult situation.” According to Azpilicueta, he only hesitated to extend the expiring contract at Stamford Bridge because of the sanctions imposed on ex-owner Roman Abramovich.
“I had better options elsewhere in terms of contract length and salary, but that wasn’t what I wanted. I’ve been here for over ten years now […]. For me it was a matter of loyalty to the club that gave me everything.”, the Spaniard continues. FC Barcelona in particular were interested in the now 33-year-old, but in the end Azpilicueta extended his contract until 2024. Last week he also rose into an elite circle when he played his 500th game for the Blues.
