Chelsea’s decision to sign Jules Kounde from Sevila and the salary the defender would command at Stamford Bridge are some of the reasons Andreas Christensen decided to leave the club, according to The Athletic.
Christensen, whose contract runs out next month, did not agree to a new deal at Stamford Bridge after months of protracted talks.
He is now expected to join Barcelona on a free transfer this summer.
The Denmark international has faced a backlash from Chelsea fans after the defender reportedly withdrew from Chelsea squad for last Saturday’s FA Cup final defeat to Liverpool.
The Danish player joined Chelsea academy from Brondby as a teenager and has lasted almost 10 years at the club.
The Athletic reports that Christensen feels the issues lie with the club and was unhappy with how talks over a renewal progressed – particularly their final contract offer.
Chelsea were said to have only offered the defender a £140,000-a-week deal with no signing-on fee.
And the total value of the package offered the player fell below the last extension he signed, which did include a big signing bonus.
The £140,000-a-week salary would have been around half what the club’s top earners currently receive, while it was significantly less than the £230,000-a-week offer made to fellow contract rebel, Antonio Rudiger – who has also decided to leave.
And when it became clear that Rudiger would leave, Chelsea did not divert those funds towards upping their offer for Christensen.
According to the report, another major issue with the Denmark player has to do with the potential arrival of Kounde, who would have come in on a far greater salary than Christensen.
This did not sit well with the Dane who has been at the club for so long, and won five major trophies.
Chelsea’s defensive transfer wish list has the likes of Kounde and Josko Gvardiol, but nothing yet until the club’s sale has gone through.
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