La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid is reportedly ready to exploit the contract stalemate between Chelsea and their reliable defender Antonio Rudiger. Multiple reports from European media indicate that Real emerged as a favorite for Rudiger’s signature and will be looking to sign the 28-year-old on pre-contract in January.
Rudiger is set to become a free agent in the summer, and it appears that Chelsea won’t be able to convince him to sign a new deal and stay at Stamford Bridge. The German international will be free to negotiate with other teams outside England in January, and any club that signs him will do so without having to pay a transfer fee.
Thanks to some great performances in 2021, Rudiger is expected to have multiple high-profile clubs chasing his signature. Besides Real, Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain are also mentioned as potential suitors.
If Real Madrid manages to convince Rudiger to come to Spain, that would be the second year in a row that they have signed one of the world’s premium defenders on free. Last summer, Real secured the signature of David Alaba on a free transfer, and the Austrian has become one of the key reasons why the club currently sits at the top of the La Liga table.
Antonio Rudiger arrived at Chelsea from AS Roma ahead of the 2017-18 season. Since then, he has played 166 games in all competitions while helping the club win UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and FA Cup.
