Real Madrid have grown very confident of beating all competition for the services of Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger when his contract expires at the end of the season, according to several sources.
The 29-year-old still hasn’t ruled out staying at Stamford Bridge and his decision won’t be announced before the season is over out of respect for Chelsea, but their current ownership problems which stem from the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich make any talks of a new deal impossible at the moment.
Rudiger joined Chelsea from AS Roma back in the summer of 2017, and he has so far made a total of 196 appearances in all competitions for the London Blues. He was reportedly close to leaving during the days of Frank Lampard in charge, but since Thomas Tuchel took over from the club’s iconic former midfielder, his status has risen to that of a regular starter. The fact that he’s started 28 Premier League matches this term speaks volumes, on top of his enormous contribution to their triumph in the Champions League last term.
Real are believed to have been in talks with Rudiger’s representatives since December, looking to provide some high-quality competition for David Alaba and Eder Militao in the heart of their back line. Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United are also thought to have expressed an interest, all being in need of such a player to help stabilize their defences.
However, Los Blancos firmly believe they are the frontrunners in that race, and that Rudiger will be joining their ranks in a couple of months.
