Chelsea players and bosses are expecting Andreas Christensen to join Barcelona when his contract expires this summer, according to reports.
Christensen, 25, has spent the last decade at Stamford Bridge after initially joining the Blues’ academy and slowly working his way up to the senior side.
But in July the Denmark defender will be out of a contract and, with seemingly little progress being made over an extension, a departure therefore looks to be on the cards.
Chelsea expect Andreas Christensen to join Barcelona when his contract expires this summer
Barcelona and Bayern Munich are reportedly eyeing a free move for him this summer, and Sky Germany claim the former are leading the race for his signature.
Christensen’s team-mates and Chelsea officials expect him to sign for Barca when his deal runs out, bringing an end to his 10-year stay in west London.
That will come as a blow to Blues head coach Thomas Tuchel, for whom he has been an important player since taking over at the Bridge in January 2021.
After failing to impress for the majority of his time at the club and drawing criticism from supporters, Christensen has come on leaps and bounds under Tuchel and is currently enjoying the best form of his career.
Barca boss Xavi is hoping to bring Christensen to the Nou Camp at the end of the season
Thomas Tuchel admitted in November he wanted the Dane to extend his stay at Chelsea
The centre-back played a key part in their Champions League triumph last season, replacing an injured Thiago Silva early on in their 1-0 final win over Manchester City.
Having spent almost a decade with Chelsea, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano claims Christensen will not sign for a Premier League rival when his contract expires at the end of June.
Romano tweeted earlier this week: ‘Andreas Christensen won’t consider any proposal from Premier League clubs to respect Chelsea. Barcelona and FC Bayern are both interested in signing him since January – still in talks.’
Back in November, Tuchel admitted he was hoping to see Christensen extend his stay at Chelsea because he is a ‘perfect fit’ for the club.
‘It is on Andreas to act. How he acts on the pitch, he needs to act off it and walk the talk because he tells us that he loves Chelsea. He tells us that he wants to stay because he is a big part of a big club,’ he said.
‘I think he is a perfect fit and I think that he is not done here. His career here is, by far, not finished.
‘But, like I said, it’s on him. We want the commitment and hopefully we get it.’
