Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger is continuing transfer talks with Real Madrid as he nears a pre-contract agreement with the Spanish giants.
The Germany international will be a free agent at the end of the season and it seems increasingly unlikely that he’ll be staying at Chelsea, who have failed with efforts to tie him down to a new contract.
Rudiger has also been chased by Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, but it looks like he’s heading for Madrid as talks reach an advanced stage.
See the tweet below from Rudy Galetti for the latest details on Rudiger’s future, with a deal for next season looking likely to be in place by January…
This is a huge blow for Chelsea, with Rudiger proving one of the club’s most important players in recent times.
The former Roma man improved hugely when Thomas Tuchel took over as manager in January, helping the Blues win the Champions League final and become one of the main contenders for this season’s Premier League title race.
There’s no doubt Rudiger should prove a superb signing for Real Madrid, but one imagines he might live to regret walking out of Stamford Bridge at this time.
Chelsea look like a team on the up under Tuchel’s management, whereas La Liga in general doesn’t look as strong as it used to, with Real no longer one of the main contenders for the game’s biggest trophies.