Thomas Tuchel is reportedly eyeing a reunion with Chelsea legend Cesar Azpilcueta at Bayern Munich in a move that, incredibly, would make Ben Chilwell Chelsea’s third longest-serving player.
Azpilicueta has a year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge but Metro claim he’s ‘likely to be deemed surplus to requirements by new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino’.
Manchester City’s Kyle Walker is thought to be Tuchel’s preferred choice to replace Benjamin Pavard, who looks to be on his way, but reports suggest the England international wants to remain with Pep Guardiola’s side.
But Tuchel would welcome Azpilcueta, who has made nearly 350 Premier League appearances for Chelsea and was a key member of the team under the German boss, captaining the side to their Champions League triumph in 2021.
Azpilicueta has won everything possible in his time at Chelsea, which began in 2012 when he moved for just £8m from Marseille.
His exit would likely make Kepa Arrizabalaga, who arrived in 2018, the club’s longest serving player, with reports suggesting Pochettino will keep the £72m signing as his No.1 next season.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been a first team player since 2015 but looks to be on his way this summer, along with Christian Pulisic, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount, who all joined more recently than Reece James, who would become the second longest-serving player, and Ben Chilwell, who would become the third despite joining the club less than three years ago.
Azpilcueta is the latest in a long, long list of Chelsea players linked with moves away this summer.
The Blues have agreed a £65m deal with Arsenal for Kai Havertz, Manchester City have landed Mateo Kovacic for £30m, while Kalidou Koulibaly and Hakim Ziyech have moved to Saudi Arabia for £17m and £8m respectively.
And those sales will be followed by a ‘second wave’ of departures.
Edouard Mendy is expected to follow Koulibaly and Ziyech to Saudi Arabia, while Callum Hudson-Odoi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have also been contacted in the Public Investment Fund’s push to secure top talent from Europe.
Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Marc Cucurella, Malang Sarr and Ethan Ampadu could also leave, according to reports.
READ MORE: Chelsea book values ahead of June 30 deadline: Havertz (£24.8m), Mount (n/a), Kovacic (£8m)…
