Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger reportedly looks to be leaning towards a transfer to Real Madrid over Paris Saint-Germain.
Worryingly for Chelsea, it simply looks like the move to the Bernabeu is something of a personal dream for Rudiger, as he’s ready to opt for Madrid over PSG despite the Ligue 1 giants offering him more money, according to Foot Mercato.
It might not be too late for the Blues to tie Rudiger down to a new contract, but the Germany international will clearly take some persuading if he’s keen to join Real despite the finances being better elsewhere.
It remains to be seen if Chelsea can come up with anything to convince Rudiger that his future should be at Stamford Bridge instead, but this report suggests it’s not looking good for the west London giants.
Rudiger has been immense for CFC in the last year or so, and it won’t be easy to replace the 28-year-old if he does move on.
The situation is made even worse for Chelsea due to the fact that both Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta are also heading towards being free agents at the end of this season.
Losing all three of these players for nothing all at once could be disastrous for Chelsea, who face spending a fortune on fixing their defence if this happens.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, would be doing great business if they could land a talent like Rudiger on a free, with the former Roma man perhaps ideal to give them a long-term replacement for club legend Sergio Ramos.
PSG will be disappointed if they miss out, with the French side still looking to bring in as many of the world’s best players as possible as they chase that elusive Champions League title.