Marseille's Cesar Azpilicueta Looks Towards Chelsea Escape

The exodus from the southern coast of France appears to be in full swing. With Didier Deschamps already gone, rumors have persisted about the destination of striker Loic Remy. Now Marseille has opened the door for clubs to pursue their two young defenders M'Bia and Azpilicueta.

Talksport is reporting that Chelsea is the likely destination for Cesar Azpilicueta. The Spanish defender is currently in London representing his country at the Olympics. This gives Chelsea brass an opportunity to view the young star first hand.

Azpi would fit perfectly in Chelsea's movement to get younger while filling a need at right-back. Azpi came to Marseille from Osasuna in 2010. In his time at Marseille, he has drawn a great deal of attention with his play.

Azpi is technically gifted pushing up from the back. He is very good with man marking due to his quickness and intelligence. The 22-year-old has a high ceiling, and is the type of talent that can be counted on to be a mainstay in the lineup for the next decade.

It is no secret that Marseille needs to sell players to finance any moves they make in the transfer market. The question is why they would be ready to part with talented youngsters like M'Bia and Azpilicueta. Unlike the Marseille attack, the defense does not have a lot of depth.

Losing Remy is offset by the presence of the Ayew brothers, and the hope that Gignac can return to form. Selling two players in the defense who could anchor your back line for the next several years shows the desperation L'OM is facing.

From the player's perspective, you can understand the desire to leave. A few years ago Marseille looked positioned to stay at the top of Ligue 1. Now they are falling on hard times, and their finances are possibly going to drive them to new lows. The project many of them signed onto is not the same, so no one can blame them for wanting a better opportunity to compete.

As the loss of Remy, Azpi and potentially M'Bia draws near, fans of L'OM may be in for another long season. Hopefully management can right the financial ship soon, or risk falling even further behind the likes of Lille, Lyon and PSG.