Barcelona are targeting Chelsea's defensive trio of Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, according to reports.

The three Blues defenders are all out of contract as of summer 2022 and Barcelona intend to bring them in to solidify their backline.

All three defenders have played a pivotal role in Chelsea's successes under Thomas Tuchel, with Azpilicueta even being named in the 30-man shortlist for the 2021 Ballon d'Or.

As reported by Mundo Deportivo, the shortlist for Barcelona's transfer targets is based on players nearing the end of their club contracts, so as to avoid making too many big money purchases.

A long potential shortlist of players can be seen on the Mundo Deportivo article, that include the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, three of Chelsea's current starting players.

A lot of noise about Rudiger's position next summer has already been made, with the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain all reportedly keeping tabs on the individual.

Christensen, on the other hand, is said to be in a good stage, negotiation-wise, with Chelsea over a contract extension.

Not too much has been made of Cesar Azpilicueta's current position with regard to contract negotiations, but the Chelsea captain is not worried about his future at the moment.

"Everything will take care of itself. I don’t need to take care of anything more.

"I have to keep doing the things that I am doing and everything will take care of itself.

"I love to be here (Chelsea), I feel loved since I arrived. My aim is to be here for as long as I can."

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