Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta leaves the club as a free agent to join Atletico Madrid; Azpilicueta made over 500 appearances for the Blues across an 11-year stay, winning nine trophies; the Spaniard has signed a one-year deal at Atletico
Thursday 6 July 2023 17:58, UK
Cesar Azpilicueta has completed a free transfer to Atletico Madrid to end his 11-year stay at Chelsea.
The defender had been a mainstay at Stamford Bridge since arriving from Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille in 2012, making over 500 appearances, scoring 17 goals, and winning every major title available.
Todd Boehly, Chelsea chairman, and Behdad Eghbali, co-controlling owner, said: "Cesar leaves an everlasting mark at Chelsea, as a warrior, as a champion, and as loyal Chelsea legend.
"He has set the standards at the club for more than a decade and demonstrated to everyone what is required day in, day out to achieve success."
The 33-year-old has joined Atletico Madrid on a one-year deal after Chelsea agreed to let their club captain go with 12 months left on his contract.
A Chelsea statement read: "Congratulations and good luck, Cesar. We'll be forever grateful."
Azpilicueta joins a growing list of players to leave Chelsea this summer, after the exits of Kalidou Koulibaly, N'Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy, who all joined Saudi Pro League clubs.
Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount have signed for Premier League rivals Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United, respectively.
The Blues have added Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson in the current window, as they seek to revive their fortunes under new boss Mauricio Pochettino after finishing 12th last term - their worst domestic season since 1994.
Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo is also said to be a primary target for Chelsea this summer, and they are expected to formalise their interest soon.
Levi Colwill will not be leaving Chelsea this summer in spite of continued interest from Liverpool and Brighton.
The club are not willing to entertain offers for the 20-year-old defender, who starred for England Under-21s as they beat Israel 3-0 on Wednesday to advance to the European Championship final in Georgia.
He is currently contracted until the summer of 2024 with an option of another year if certain criteria are met.
Colwill spent last season on loan at Brighton where he made 22 appearances as the Seagulls qualified for Europe.
Who will be on the move this summer when the transfer window opens on June 14 and closes at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
