Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus have all opened talks with the representatives of Antonio Rudiger, with a view of the possibility of signing him on a free transfer when his contract with Chelsea expires at the end of the season.
Rudiger, who has enjoyed a sort of career resurrection since Thomas Tuchel took charge at Stamford Bridge a year ago and played an important role in their run to the Champions League triumph last season, put in another fine performance as his team held Liverpool to a 2-2 draw in London. That result, however, suited nobody but defending Premier League champions Manchester City, who are now 10 points ahead of Chelsea in the table. The two teams will face each other in a vital clash at the Etihad on January 15th.
A few months ago, Rudiger himself said he wasn’t talking about his future to any club except Chelsea. The situation has obviously changed with the turn of the year, practically the moment he was free to start negotiating with clubs outside England about a free transfer in the summer.
Real Madrid have been credited with interest in his services for quite a long time, having lost the likes of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane last summer. It is believed that Juventus could soon part ways with Matthijs de Ligt, while veterans Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci obviously need replacing as well. Bayern lost David Alaba to Real last summer, and Niklas Sule is reportedly keen on leaving the Allianz Arena too. And as for PSG, they signed Ramos last summer, believing the former Real captain to still have what it takes to compete at the highest level, but the controversial defender has so far only made three appearances in all competitions for the Ligue 1 giants due to injuries.
