Premier League giants Chelsea have confirmed that vice-captain Cesar Azpilicueta has penned a new long-term deal to keep him at the club until the summer of 2022. The Spain international has racked nearly 300 appearances during his six-and-a-half seasons with the Blues and he has now been rewarded with a fresh deal which would extend his association with the club for up to a decade.
Meanwhile, Blues boss Maurizio Sarri was also pleased with the defender’s contract renewal and highlighted that the Spaniard remains an important player for the forthcoming years, he added: “I think Azpilicueta is very important for the staff, the coach and his team mates. He’s very important for the club. I’m very happy with the new contract, for him and the club.”
Azpilicueta has become the third senior Blues player to commit his future after N’Golo Kante and Marcos Alonso and the Blues may now focus on dealing with other players, whose contracts are due to expire in the near future. Among those, David Luiz and Cesc Fabregas have been regularly highlighted across the media and speaking to reporters, Sarri happened to suggest that he is doing everything within his reach to commit the duo to new contracts.
The Blues have generally gone with the shrewd policy of handing one-year contracts for players aged above 30 but Sarri remains hopeful that the club can have an exception with Fabregas and Luiz, who have played key roles in the Blues’ trophy success in recent years