Barcelona are eyeing a move for Cesar Azpilicueta after dropping their interest in Hector Bellerin, it has been claimed.
Bellerin, 22, was being linked with a return to the Nou Camp. He began his career there before joining Arsenal as a teenager in 2011.
The right-back even talked up a move back to Catalonia in a recent interview.
According to The Mirror, Barcelona were willing to pay £30m to do a deal. But the Gunners are said to have told Bellerin he’s going nowhere and reportedly issued a formal warning to Nou Camp chiefs over their pursuit of the defender.
And The Mirror claim that has prompted Barcelona to turn their
attention to Azpilicueta.
The 27-year-old impressed as Chelsea romped to the Premier
League title under Antonio Conte last season.
He thrived in the Italian’s new system, slotting in at centre-back alongside David Luiz and Gary Cahill. There are still three years left to run on his contract at Stamford Bridge after he penned fresh terms in December.
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