Former Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen is hoping to be announced as a Barcelona player ‘soon’ following his release at Stamford Bridge, according to reports.
The 26-year-old ended his 10-year affiliation with the club, refusing to agree to a new deal as his contract expires at the end of June.
Speaking back in May, Thomas Tuchel confirmed that both Antonio Rudiger and Christensen would depart the club.
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"We are losing, of course, Toni, we’re losing Andreas. So this is tough and we already have gap close,” he revealed before continuing to label the task of closing the gap to Manchester City as ‘impossible’.
"It’s maybe impossible. I have to say, maybe impossible. They are improving their squad in every transfer window they have. It seems like we are losing key player."
Christensen was named on Chelsea’s released list published ahead of the summer transfer window.
Chelsea are looking to replace the Dane, with Stefan de Vrij one of the main names linked as Inter Milan look to seal a deal for Romelu Lukaku this summer, and could include the defender.
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The Blues have also been heavily linked with de Vrij’s international teammate, Dutchman Matthijs de Ligt as the Blues are believed to be leading the race for the Juventus star.
Furthermore, Chelsea have reportedly identified Josko Gvardiol and Jules Kounde, with the latter set to join this summer despite picking up an injury on Nations League duty with France.
Therefore, the Blues are clearly planning for life without Christensen and Rudiger. The former has officially been confirmed as a Real Madrid player, with Christensen’s future still officially unknown.
The Dane has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, as the Catalan club had reportedly taken advantage of his uncertain contract talks at Stamford Bridge to snap him up on a free transfer.
And now, Danish publication B.T. have reported that Christensen is hoping that his transfer to the Camp Nou will be confirmed ‘soon’.
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Speaking to the publication, Christensen confirmed: “I have known what I was going to do for a while. I'm just waiting for the right time. Unfortunately, it's not entirely up to me. There are also other things that need to fall into place.”
The Dane then continued to discuss the attraction of leaving Chelsea and joining Barcelona in the summer.
“It is one of the biggest clubs in Europe,” he said. “I think it is for everyone - whether they have had their problems or not, it is still one of the biggest clubs for a player to get to.”
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Andreas Christensen, Barcelona, Football