Major European clubs plan to step up pursuit of Chelsea defender after CL exit

Manchester United, Barcelona to raise efforts this week to sign Chelsea star Antonio Rudiger this summer

According to The Sun, Manchester United and Barcelona will raise their efforts this week to facilitate a move for Chelsea star Antonio Rudiger this summer. They have decided to take this stance after his side was knocked out of the Champions League recently by Real Madrid.

Rudiger has less than six months left in his current contract, and there have not been any signs of an extension right now. The Blues are eager to tie him down on a new deal, but they would also have to deal with several interested parties. What’s more, he can legally reach a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs making life difficult for Thomas Tuchel’s side.

Previously, it has been claimed that the German did not want to take a final decision over his future when he was still in the CL. Now that the West London side has exited the competition, clubs like Man United and Barca are looking to ramp up their pursuit this week to finalise a transfer for the defender.

Can Chelsea keep Rudiger past this summer?

Despite the defeat at the hands of Real, the second-leg performance showcased why the 29-year-old is a crucial part of our defence. He had bounced back from his mistake from the first leg and was influential in setting up the potential comeback. Unfortunately, we failed to finish the job resulting in our CL exit.

As such, we cannot afford to lose the Premier League ace’s services in any case after taking a look at our defensive options. Andreas Christensen is out of contract this summer, and he seems close to moving to Camp Nou this summer. Losing another one of our star centre-backs would really reduce our defensive depth to bare bones.

Not to mention, our other options are either too old or too young to lead our backline in the near future. Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva are in the twilight of their playing career, and they would eventually need to be replaced. While Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr are solid replacements, they could use some much-needed experience before becoming first-team regulars.

The Blues would do well to fend Man United and Barca away from Rudiger but given his contract situation, there is not much that we can do. They would not be alone in the race to sign the ex-AS Roma ace, as Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Los Blancos are also in the same boat. That shows the steep challenge that we need to overcome to keep hold of Rudiger.

The current transfer ban imposed on the club does prevent us from engaging in contract talks with the German international. That could create more problems for us but fans would remain hopeful that until anything official is announced by the concerned parties, there is perhaps a chance that he extends his deal with us.

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It is amazing to see how a player’s career can turn a corner so quickly. Rudiger wasn’t enjoying this level of fame and success under Frank Lampard but ever since Tuchel came in and deployed a three-man backline, Rudiger has become one of the finest defenders in England.

It would be a shame if he leaves after just one and a half year under the manager who helped him reach such heights, but Rudiger cannot really be faulted considering his attitude and work ethic has remained very good this season.