Bitter rivals ‘not in the race’ to sign Chelsea superstar amid Real Madrid interest

Real Madrid hold talks to convince Chelsea ace Antonio Rudiger to join on a free transfer amidst contract issues

According to transfer news on The Guardian, Real Madrid have held talks with out-of-contract Chelsea ace Antonio Rudiger over a potential move in the summer.

The 28-year-old has arguably been one of the best defenders in England in the past year or so. His transformation under Thomas Tuchel has been incredible as he is leading the charge to secure Chelsea a Premier League title this season. However, he shall be out of contract at the end of the campaign. 

Real Madrid are keen on landing his signature, especially since it would be a free transfer. Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in signing him, while Bayern Munich have also expressed some interest. The defender is apparently demanding a £200k-per-week salary, which is quite a jump from his £90k-per-week wage. 

The Blues have offered him a contract worth £140k-per-week, but Rudiger believes he deserves a bigger contract. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has also revealed that Madrid do want to sign him as a free agent while also mentioning that Bayern have no plans to agree upon his salary demands and that Tottenham Hotspur are not in the race to sign him.

Should Chelsea satisfy his wage demands?

The centre-back made his importance crystal clear on the weekend against Leeds United. He won two penalties, including one in added-time. The two goals bailed us out against the Peacocks after a woeful defensive performance.

The German international is a leader and fights for the badge on the front rather than the name on the back. His presence is crucial to us, and he still has quite a few years ahead of him, given that he is only 28. Moreover, he deserves to be paid as much as some of the other stars at the club.

If the Blues do have a replacement lined up for him, his departure would not hurt that much. But it would have to be a worthy defender and somebody that can immediately replicate his performances at the back. With Tuchel playing a three-at-the-back system, it’s not wise to sacrifice on depth, especially after we lost Fikayo Tomori and Marc Guehi in the summer without bringing in a new face in defence.

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Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, and Andreas Christensen are also out of contract in the summer, but tying down the former AS Roma defender to a new deal should be on the first page of our ‘to-do list’, given what he adds to the team. Rudiger shall be free to negotiate a pre-contract with foreign clubs in January, courtesy of which a decision needs to be made soon.