Sky Sports journalist Jessica Creighton said Antonio Rudiger is being rather relaxed about possibly leaving Chelsea this month.
The German international is now one of Europe’s hottest properties, as he enters into the final sixth months of his Stamford Bridge contract.
Foreign clubs can now start to talk terms of a transfer away from South West London, with no shortage of interested suitors jostling to exploit this option.
Pretty much all of the big-name players want a piece of the defender’s pie.
Rudiger has transported to the highest-echelons of the sport following the arrival of Thomas Tuchel last January.
He is regarded amongst certain circles as the Premier League’s finest centre-back, a statement that is hard to argue against.
Why is Rudiger close to leaving Chelsea?
Chelsea would lose a major piece of their puzzle that is close to completion under Tuchel.
The onus is on the board to meet the 28-year-old’s wage demands, as he looks for a pay rise to accurately reflect his own rise in the past 12 months.
Currently, the former Roman centurion earns around £90,000-a-week (The Athletic), but wants to be hitting close to the £200,000 mark.
Chelsea have not wavered on their £140,000-a-week (The Athletic) offer, meaning the conversations over a new deal remain in stationary mode.
Could he atually be staying put?
Those outside parties vying to snap up Rudiger would be willing to open up their treasure chests to him.
However, it seems the centre-half is yet to be enticed by their gold.
“There is no rush as we understand it for him to sign any kind of pre-contract agreements. That is our understanding,” explained Creighton.
“Real (Madrid), Juventus, PSG, Bayern Munich are all in contact with Rudiger’s representatives. There is interest from Barcelona as well.”
This stance can offer a slither of hope to Chelsea that Rudiger might remain in the capital.
A small amount of optimism, yes, but it’s better than nothing.
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