According to TA, Rudiger hopes to make a final decision on his future at the end of April, Barcelona are very close to getting a free transfer from Chelsea centre-back, and Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are also very keen to sign the German, but the former is already in the lead in this competition.
Late Ludiger, balanced and tough
In 2017, Rudiger joined Chelsea from Roma for 35 million euros, and despite his constant time at Stamford Bridge, he was only activated after Tuchel arrived. Over the past year, the German has been heavily valued by his fellow coach and Tuchel has thoroughly activated the German international after his three seasons at Chelsea have been uneven.
After winning the Champions League, Rudiger has been the core of Chelsea's defence. To date, the 29-year-old has made 47 appearances, scoring five goals and creating four assists. On the defensive end, it can also contribute to an average of 1.3 steals, 0.9 interceptions and 2.6 clearances per game.
Despite the mentor-apprentice relationship, the player's contract at the club is about to expire this summer. Chelsea's talks with him for a contract extension have been going on for a long time and the process has not been pleasant. Coinciding with the meeting, the British government also issued a ban on the Premier League giants, and the Blues could not negotiate transfers and contract extensions during the transfer period.
Chelsea were sanctioned and Barca wielded a hoe
That is to say, even if the club is willing to meet the conditions of the player, he will not be able to sign a new contract with the club. Rudiger's contract woes have caught the attention of European giants, with Barcelona and Real Madrid having been following him for a long time.
Not only are the Catalan clubs luring the Germans to join freely, they are also trying to persuade Chelsea's other defensive pillar, Christensen, to join Camp Nou. Under Xavi's leadership, Barca are desperate to speed up the reconstruction process and will naturally swing their hoes at Chelsea.
La Liga giants believe that Rudiger is the best candidate to succeed Umtiti and Lenglet, and according to the World Sports newspaper, the two sides have reached a preliminary agreement on personal terms.
Real Madrid also have a certain demand for a centre-back, with Carlo Ancelotti having no more good centre-back options besides Alaba and Militão, Nacho can top it, and Vallejo is likely to leave Real Madrid this summer. In the eyes of the editor, Real Madrid simply has a date without a date to play a shot, the demand is not large, but the visa-free is indeed very attractive, and it is Barca's goal, to add to their blockage.