Xavi wants Chelsea captain in Champions League
KEY POINTS
- Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez reportedly actively pursuing potential transfer targets
- Xavi is confident Chelsea veteran Cesar Azpilicueta will be a great addition to his squad
- Barca have already signed 38-year-old Dani Alves
The Barcelona team are very likely to have a new look under Xavi Hernandez.
Things are believed to have picked up speed at Barcelona, especially in terms of changes after Xavi’s arrival.
The Barca boss is said to be playing an active role in recruiting the club in the middle of the season, and one of his most recent targets is veteran Chelsea Cesar Azpilicueta, ESPN reported, citing unnamed sources.
According to the report, Barcelona are “monitoring” Azpilicueta’s contract situation now that he is entering the final six months of his contract with Chelsea.
The Blues are still trying to negotiate an extension, but an agreement has not yet been reached.
It may be recalled that Barca managed to land Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia on free transfers last summer, but the report says the club “will continue to target out-of-contract players” due to the issues current financials.
In the process, Barcelona have nominated Azpilicueta, who captained Chelsea in the club’s successful UEFA Champions League run last season.
The report adds that Xavi “values” Azpilicueta’s “ability to play right-back in a four-man defense or to the right of a three-man defender.”
Moreover, the Barca manager may also have known that the 32-year-old could certainly add depth to his young backline setup of Sergino Dest, Garcia, Oscar Mingueza and Ronald Araujo.
More veterans are expected to be linked with a move to Barcelona with Camp Nou legend Dani Alves already back in the squad.
Alves, 38, played alongside Xavi in the Catalans’ heyday, and he is now set to represent his beloved club.
” I am still shocked. I’ve been trying to come back for a long time, ”Alves told Diario Sport of his return to Barcelona. “It’s a privilege to come back, we are going to try to save the Barca that we all know. We are in a process, but we have to accelerate it because we are Barca and there is no margin to make errors.
“I am faced with an incredible challenge, one of the ones that fascinates me the most,” he added. “To rebuild, fight, sweat… defend the jersey. There are two shirts that when I put them on I feel like a superhero: the one from Brazil and the one from Barça. I hope to pass all of this on to my teammates.
Apart from Alves, Barcelona are also said to be interested in the return of another former Catalan star, Thiago, who currently plays for English Premier League side Liverpool.