Senior Chelsea star ‘completes medical’ as Euro giants close in on big signing, with rival suitors left raging

Another Chelsea player will soon depart Stamford Bridge after Fabrizio Romano revealed he has ‘completed the main part of his medical’ ahead of joining one of Europe’s biggest teams.

Chelsea needed to offload a host of players this summer after spending £600million on what is essentially a new squad in the previous two transfer windows. Getting rid of several stars will help new boss Mauricio Pochettino to spend money without breaking Financial Fair Play regulations.

N’Golo Kante has gone to Al Ittihad on a free transfer following the expiry of his Chelsea contract, and he has been followed to the Saudi Pro League by Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly.

Some of Chelsea’s biggest stars have joined Premier League rivals, too. Mateo Kovacic has gone to Manchester City, Kai Havertz has signed for Arsenal and Mason Mount has joined Manchester United. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, meanwhile, has become AC Milan’s latest new arrival.

Blues skipper Cesar Azpilicueta looks set to be the next player to follow them out of the exit door. His contract runs until June 2024, but Chelsea are willing to terminate it a year early so he can join a new club on a free.

On June 23, it emerged that the right-back had agreed a two-year contract with Inter Milan. But Atletico Madrid soon got involved in the race and then agreed a two-year deal of their own with Azpilicueta, leaving Inter fuming. The 33-year-old has opted to join Atleti as it will allow him to go back to his home country of Spain, where he has not played since 2010.

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Writing on Twitter, Romano provided the latest on Azpilicueta’s situation. He revealed that Azpilicueta has ‘completed the main part of his medical’ in Madrid. This means it will not be long before Atleti announce him as their third signing of the summer. They have already brought in left-back Javi Galan from Celta Vigo and centre-half Caglar Soyuncu from Leicester City.

Romano ended his update by giving Azpilicueta’s move his signature ‘here we go’ confirmation.

Cesar Azpilicueta Chelsea spell set to end

The defender has been an incredibly loyal servant to Chelsea, having first joined them in August 2012. Since then he has made over 500 appearances and helped Chelsea win illustrious trophies such as two Premier League titles, one Champions League, two Europa Leagues and one FA Cup. He has captained the side since 2019.

Despite all he has done for the club, it makes sense for Azpilicueta to leave now. He is not quite the player he once was, and he is no longer a regular starter due to the fierce competition for places.

It will be good for Azpilicueta to see out the remainder of his career where he started it, back in the Spanish top flight.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are reportedly planning a firm bid for an exciting Chelsea star to test Pochettino’s resolve.