Chelsea have confirmed that captain Cesar Azpilicueta has signed a new two-year contract with the club, extending his stay until June 2024.
The 32-year-old, whose initial deal was due to expire next summer, had been attracting interest from Catalan giants Barcelona.
However, the Spanish defender has decided to commit his future to the West Londoners, ending speculation over a potential exit from Stamford Bridge.
Speaking to Chelsea's official website on his new deal, Azpilicueta said: "I am really happy to extend my stay at Chelsea, my home.
"It is almost 10 years since I first arrived and joined the club so I really feel the love and I am really excited for the new project we have in our hands.
"I would like to say thank you to Mr Todd [Boehly] and Mr Behdad [Eghbali] for giving me the opportunity to keep my journey at this amazing club and I am really looking forward to continuing our adventure. I am a really proud captain and I hope we can share many good memories together."
Mr. Chelsea. Two more years. 💙 pic.twitter.com/j8lYVl3km4
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 4, 2022
New chairman and co-controlling owner Todd Boehly added: "We are so happy that Cesar is staying at Chelsea for a minimum of two more years.
"We are thrilled with our captain showing his exemplary commitment and leadership yet again. There is still so much to do together."
Fellow co-controlling owners Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano said: "Cesar is a world-class leader on and off the pitch. He's a Chelsea legend and exemplifies so many of the qualities and values as a player and a person we aspire to.
"We couldn't be more excited for Cesar to be at Chelsea under our ownership as we continue to work to build a champion squad."
Azpilicueta has enjoyed a trophy-laden 10-year spell at Chelsea since joining the club from French outfit Marseille in the summer of 2012 for just under £8m.
© Reuters
The versatile defender has won every major trophy on offer with the Blues, becoming one of only six players to have won the Premier League (2), FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, Europa League (2), UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
Azpilicueta, who began his career with Spaniard side Osasuna, is also the only player in Chelsea's history to appear in 13 cup finals.
Since his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers back in September 2012, Azpilicueta has made a total of 476 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions, with goalkeeper Petr Cech the only overseas player to have represented the West Londoners on more occasions.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have completed the signing of 18-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa on a six-year deal, with the midfielder becoming Thomas Tuchel's third signing of the summer window after the arrivals of Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly.
Oliver Thomas
