Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger reportedly made his mind up to leave the club a long time ago after an initial contract offer.
The Independent’s chief football writer Miguel Delaney has reported in his newsletter that the 29-year-old has known for a while he’ll be leaving Stamford Bridge this summer when his contract expires. It’s something that’s now been officially confirmed, too.
It is understood that Rudiger’s camp were completely put off staying when Chelsea tabled a contract extension before the sanctions on the London club were imposed, feeling that the offer on the table was far too low.
It’s now Real Madrid that will reportedly agree to sign the Blues defender in the next few days.
Chelsea fans have waited so long hoping to hear good news on the centre-back’s future, but they now know there’s a major hole to fill in the starting line-up next season.
Thomas Tuchel’s majorly relied on the Germany international during his time as manager, which is why he’s now got to work out a way to be successful without the powerhouse defender.
Immediate pressure on Chelsea owners
There’s going to be an expectation from the fanbase from day one that the club’s next ownership signify their intent to invest in this squad.
In fairness, Rudiger’s such a key part of the team that Chelsea boss Tuchel has every right to be asking for transfer funds.
It’s going to be intriguing to see how the Blues approach the summer window, provided they’ve got enough time to attack it properly.
You’d expect that it’s going to take quite the transfer sum to find a like-for like replacement that’s operating at Rudiger’s level.
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