Andreas Christensen has penned a farewell Chelsea message after it was confirmed he would leave the club at the end of his contract.
The 25-year-old is expected to join Barcelona this summer on a free transfer, a deal is yet to be confirmed, after he ran his contract at Stamford Bridge down.
Chelsea did all they could to try to keep the central defender in west London, and thought they had struck an agreement with the Danish international last summer over an extension.
But demands were changed and the Blues, who suffered due to sanctions placed on the club from March until the end of May, were left with little option but to accept Christensen’s fate of wanting to depart.
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Christensen’s exit didn’t come without controversy after he pulled out of the FA Cup final squad on the morning of the game due to personal reasons.
He spent 10 years at Chelsea after joining from Brondby in 2021 and went on to make 160 appearances for the first-team during his time in the capital, which also saw him spend time out on loan in Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Christensen wrote a goodbye message on Instagram and expressed his gratitude to everyone connected with the club.
He said: “I had a tough decision to make at the age of 16 to leave Denmark. I met many different clubs but there was only ever one choice for me and that was Chelsea. From the moment I arrived they made me feel at home. I'm grateful to Jim Fraser and Neil Bath who immediately embraced me as part of their family.
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"Some of my proudest moments at the club were when we won FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League. Those were a special group of young players that I was proud to have as teammates.
“I was fortunate to play under some fantastic managers including (Antonio) Conte, (Jose) Mourinho and now Thomas Tuchel. Last year was my proudest achievement as a player when we lifted the Champions League in Porto.
“I was a young boy at Chelsea with all the hopes and fears of a player starting his career, I’m grateful to the whole club for making my dream come true.
“Having spent ten amazing years at this club, I felt now was the right time for a new beginning for me and my family.
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“Mentally the last few months have been tough as it’s not been an easy decision to leave this club and the fans.
“I’m not the most talkative person so sometimes people don’t understand how much the club and the fans mean to me.
"I will miss the players, staff and everyone here.
“I wish the best for the club and the fans in the future.”
Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James, Kai Havertz, Billy Gilmour and Danny Drinkwater (who has now left Chelsea) were among the first players to wish Christensen well for the future.
Topics: Andreas Christensen, Chelsea, Barcelona, Football