According to reports in the Daily Mail, Chelsea are confident of keeping hold of Barcelona target Cesar Azpilicueta this summer.

Spanish publication Sport had claimed on Wednesday that the defender is one of new Barca manager Ernesto Valverde’s summer targets after the former Athletic Bilbao coach was officially unveiled as Luis Enrique’s replacement at the Camp Nou.

It is no surprise given the 27-year-old enjoyed yet another impressive and consistent season at Stamford Bridge, helping the Blues win the Premier League title and adapting to boss Antonio Conte’s preferred 3-4-3 formation.

The La Liga giants are desperate to strengthen their squad over the course of the next few weeks following a disappointing campaign in which they finished second to Real Madrid in the league, and were easily beaten by Juventus in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

While the potential move could be tempting for the Spaniard, the Premier League champions have to stay strong.

Here are three reasons Chelsea must fight off interest in Azpilicueta from Barcelona this summer…

He is reliable

Britain Football Soccer - Chelsea v Swansea City - Premier League - Stamford Bridge - 25/2/17 Chelsea manager Antonio Conte celebrates with Cesar Azpilicueta after the game  Reuters / Peter Nicholls Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative fo

During his whole career with Chelsea, each of the managers that have worked with Azpilicueta would have known that they would be guaranteed a positive showing from the Spaniard if he was named in the starting line-up.

While defensive partners Gary Cahill and David Luiz can have off days, there are very few occasions when the 27-year-old gives anything less than a seven or an eight out of 10 performance on the pitch; and that is the very reason that he will have caught the attentions of Barcelona.

The Blues will need more of that next season as they return to the group stages of the Champions League and look to retain their Premier League title.

He has so many qualities

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The Spaniard has so many impressive attributes and he is probably one of the most underrated players in the Premier League.

At the back, the 27-year-old is strong in the air despite not being the tallest, while he is the quickest of the three centre-backs when he lines up alongside Gary Cahill and David Luiz.

He also brings an attacking threat as well having scored two goals and provided a further seven assists this season.

That determination not to let anything beat him and his impressive reading of the game has to be admired, and Antonio Conte will not want to lose those qualities this summer.

He is versatile

Football Soccer Britain - Chelsea v West Bromwich Albion - Premier League - Stamford Bridge - 11/12/16 Chelsea's David Luiz celebrates after the game with Cesar Azpilicueta  Action Images via Reuters / John Sibley Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account re

Prior to this season, Azpilicueta spent much of his Chelsea career playing at left-back despite being right-footed, and it shows just how impressive his performances are and how highly-rated he is at Stamford Bridge that he consistently did that.

The 27-year-old has once again shown his versatility by playing in five different positions alone during the current campaign.

The fact that he is able to play on the left or on the right, as well as being an impressive centre-back in a three-man defence, means that he is almost irreplaceable for the Premier League champions.

Do you agree, Chelsea fans? Let us know below.