Real Madrid and Bayern Munich Chasing Antonio Rudiger

Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea
Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea in 2020. Photo by Mark Greenwood/IPS/Shutterstock (10577112ba)

Several high-profile European clubs have been put on notice with Chelsea’s failure to agree on a new contract with German defender Antonio Rudiger according to ESPN’s James Olley. Among those clubs are Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, who are reportedly growing confident that they will be able to land Rudiger.

The 28-year-old star will be a free agent at the end of the 2021-22 season, which means the club that acquires him won’t have to pay a transfer fee and can lock him under contract starting January. This, paired with Rudiger’s exceptional performances lately, has led to an increased number of suitors who are willing to offer him significantly higher wages than Chelsea.

Chelsea and Rudiger have been negotiating a new deal for a while now but couldn’t bridge their differences in the salary department. While the player wants to at least double his current $137K (£100K) weekly salary, the Premier League side is only willing to go as high as $206K (£150K).

Rudiger has earlier expressed a wish to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge and said he is happy at the club. However, this might not be enough to make him pass the $413 (£300K) per week that some clubs intend to offer in January.

Rudiger arrived at Chelsea in 2017 and has since played 160 games for the club while helping it win UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League trophies.

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