Cesar Azpilicueta joins Atletico Madrid on free transfer from Chelsea

The Spanish defender has won the Champions League with the Blues

Italia's transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, says that Atletico Madrid have reached an agreement to sign Cesar Azpilicueta. The former Chelsea captain will sign a two-year contract with Simeone's men.

The main distinction is that after 11 years in London and two more years at Olympique Marseille prior to that, Azpilicueta's family is keen on going back to Spain.

He will turn 34 in August, and Inter Milan intends to use him mostly as a centre-back in their three-man defence. That hardly appears to be the situation, as Atletico Madrid presents a strong case.

According to a source from Sky Sport Italia, Inter are hardly optimistic that they can sign Cesar Azpilicueta as a free agent from Chelsea since his family wants him to join Atletico Madrid in Spain.

The exact same report had just last week claimed that the Nerazzurri and the seasoned defender, who would be permitted to leave the Blues for nothing with a premature termination of his contract, had reached a personal agreement.

According to the report, Simeone finds the 33-year-old's ability to play either centre-back or right-back to be an appealing feature.

All of the personal terms had been agreed to between the Nerazzurri and Azpilicueta. The former skipper was expected to make €3.5 million net over the course of a two-year contract, including salary and benefits.

However, it appears like Inter are no longer in the running, and Atletico Madrid may seize this opportunity to sign the Spanish right-back.