Chelsea are preparing themselves to lose one of their star players as central defender Antonio Rudger has turned down a new contract offer and told the club that he will depart Stamford Bridge. The German international rejected the latest offer, worth 200,000 pounds a week, and will leave Thomas Tuchel looking for a new defender. He would have been the highest-earning defender in the club's history, alongside substantial signing-on and agent fees.
It comes after five years at the club in which Rudiger has won the Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and an FA Cup. The 29-year-old is being pursued by Real Madrid, among others, and will now turn his attention to agreeing a contract with another club before his existing deal expires in June.
Real Madrid is leading the race to sign the centre-back on a free transfer.Los Blancos have positioned themselves as the clear favourites for Rudiger's signature and he looks set to arrive at the club this summer to reinforce their options in central defence.
Negotiations have taken place in recent weeks and a deal that had looked impossible is now close to being agreed. Real Madrid want to offer Rudiger a four-year deal and the deal could be agreed very soon, although it will not be made official until the end of the season. The necessity of this signing has become clear in recent weeks, firstly due to the club's lack of top-level options at centre-back.
Whilst Carlo Ancelotti has three excellent centre-halves in David Alaba, Eder Militao and Nacho Fernandez, Jesus Vallejo is not in his plans and Dani Carvajal had to fill in there against Chelsea. Also, Rudiger's stunning performance at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu convinced the club to sign him this summer, and a deal is imminent.
The sources of Sportsmail have learned that Rudiger has turned down bigger offers from elsewhere in Europe to sign for Real. Barcelona, PSG and Juventus were all interested in Rudiger. Signing Rudiger has been a long term project for Real, who have courted the centre-back since his days with Stuttgart.
The prospect of Rüdiger leaving will be a major blow for Thomas Tuchel, who is already set to lose Andreas Christensen on a free transfer. Christensen is also out of contract and the Denmark centre-back is poised to join Barcelona at the end of the season. Meanwhile, the captain Cesar Azpilicueta is also rumoured to be considering a return to Spain when his contract expires in the summer.
Speaking to Sky Sports after Chelsea's 1-0 win over West Ham on April 24, Blues boss Tuchel confirmed: "The situation is that he wants to leave the club. He informed me of this in a private talk. We gave everything - me and the club - but we could not fight anymore because of the actions. Without the sanctions we would at least be able to carry on fighting, but our hands are tied. We don't take it personally. It is his decision”.
"He is a key figure and will stay that way until the end of the season. But it is disappointing. We will miss him a lot. He gives courage in the dressing room. The kind everyone is afraid of, but the kind to play 50-55 games at an outstanding level. He is a top defender in the last one-and-a-half years for me. We then need to find another solution, he concluded.
Meanwhile the transfermarket expert, Fabrizio Romano wrote in his Twitter account: The agreement between Toni Rüdiger and Real Madrid has been reached on a four year deal, valid until June 2026. 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.
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