Football News : Cesar Azpilicueta extends his stay in Chelsea by signing a new contract

Cesar Azpilicueta's new two-year deal with Chelsea, which extends his stay until June 2024, has been officially announced by Chelsea. The 32-year-old had the Catalan powerhouse Barcelona interested because his initial contract was set to expire next summer.

The West Londoners have now secured the Spanish defender's future, putting an end to rumours that he would leave Stamford Bridge.

Speaking to Chelsea's official website on his new contract, 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."

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 joined Chelsea from French club Marseille in the summer of 2012 for a little under £8 million, and has since had a trophy-laden 10-year stay.

The versatile defender is one of just six players to have won immense trophies with the Blues, namely:

Premier League (2), FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, Europa League (2), UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup.

Azpilicueta is the only player in Chelsea's history to have participated in 13 cup finals.

While he started his career with the Spanish team Osasuna and has now become a Chelsea legend.

Azpilicueta has made a total of 476 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions since his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers in September 2012. The only foreign player to have played more for the West Londoners is goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Meanwhile, Chelsea has finalised the signing of 18-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa on a six-year contract. The midfielder joins Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly as Thomas Tuchel's third signings of the summer transfer window.

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