Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger on the verge of Real Madrid switch
Soon to be out of contract Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger is on the verge of completing a free transfer to Real Madrid, according to reports.
The German’s future has been up in the air for much of the season, and the increased uncertainty around ownership has only served to further muddy the waters. Speaking after his side’s 1-0 win over West Ham, which Rudiger missed through injury, Thomas Tuchel finally confirmed that one of his stars had decided not to stay.
Confirmed, Rüdiger will leave Chelsea as Tuchel announces: “He wants to leave the club. He informed me in a private talk. We gave everything but we could not fight anymore because of the actions”, told @AdamNewson. 🚨🔵 #CFC
Real Madrid are working on it. Talks in progress. ⏳ pic.twitter.com/qMjVzQqjtT
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 24, 2022
‘Rüdiger will leave as we can’t compete because of the sanctions. But now we don’t take it personally. It’s his decision’
Real Madrid bound
And now, as per Fabrizio Romano, a move to join Spanish giants Real Madrid is close to being completed for the 28 year old.
The agreement between Toni Rüdiger and Real Madrid has been reached on a four year deal, valid until June 2026. ⚪️🤝 #RealMadrid
It’s matter of final details before signing the contracts. No official announcement before the end of the season, even if Toni will sign in May. pic.twitter.com/gnTAv6GYr3
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 25, 2022
The report suggests that Rudi will pen a deal keeping him at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2026, where he will face competition from both David Alaba and Eder Militao to nail down a starting spot.
It means that the pair will now be playing against each other in the biggest game of the Spanish footballing calender, rather than together as they did so often under Thomas Tuchel.