Chelsea were confident that they would be able to convince Antonio Rudiger to stay with a contract offer worth over £200,000-a-week, but the defender demanded more, according to The Telegraph.
The Blues reportedly believed that they had matched the 29-year-old’s wage demands after improving their initial offer of a new £150,000-a-week contract to over £200,000-a-week.
The Athletic’s Simon Johnson claims Chelsea’s last contract offer was worth £230,000-a-week.
Chelsea made the offer weeks before the sanctioning of club owner Roman Abramovich, which consequently put the contract talks to a halt, the report claims.
The Telegraph added that Rudiger’s representatives demanded an even bigger salary, as well as a £10million signing-on fee plus agent fees in the same region.
The Chelsea board reportedly felt that the demands had become too high.
The Germany international, who has entered the final months of his contract, is now set to leave Chelsea on a free transfer at the end of the season.
According to another report from Sky Germany, Real Madrid are leading the race to sign the centre-back and becoming increasingly confident that they can secure a deal.
The report mentions that Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, whose directors recently had a meeting with Rudiger’s half-brother and agent Sahr Senesie, are among the clubs interested in the player.
It is now safe to say that Chelsea will be in the market for several centre-backs this summer.
Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta may also leave at the end of the season, although the latter already triggered a one-year extension clause in his contract after making 30+ appearances this season.
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