Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed that centre-back Antonio Rudiger will leave the club this summer in the aftermath of Chelsea’s 1-0 win over West Ham United – a Premier League game in which the German did not feature. According to ESPN, the German is close to joining Real Madrid on a four-year contract.
In his post-match interview, Tuchel reaffirmed that the club, and he personally, dialled up the attempts to get Rudiger to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge but lost out due to the restrictions on owner Roman Abramovich, which, have hamstrung the club financially. It is believed that Chelsea were nearing an agreement with the German after reopening negotiations last December before the sanctions hit.
“The situation is that he wants to leave the club. He informed me of this in a private talk. We gave everything, me and the club, but we could not fight anymore.
Without the sanctions, we would at least be able to carry on fighting, but our hands are tied. We don’t take it personally. It is his decision.”
Tuchel said.
Real Madrid reportedly have beaten out competition from Manchester United and FC Barcelona for the defender, with whom they are believed to have reached an initial agreement. Rudiger is believed to be interested in a move to Madrid and has dropped his wage demands to facilitate a transfer quickly. Fabrizio Romano confirms that the 29-year-old will sign a contract until 2026 with the LaLiga table-toppers but that an official announcement will be delayed until the end of the season.
Rudiger joined Chelsea from AS Roma in 2017 in a 29 million pounds-worth deal. In the five seasons that he spent at Stamford Bridge, the German made 196 appearances for the Blues, the best of which came after Tuchel’s appointment in Janury 2021.
