According to Sky Sports, there are no longer contract talks going on between Chelsea and Antonio Rudiger. The player was ready to stay in London but only if his wages demands were met. If Chelsea agreed to this demand, he would have been the highest-paid defender in the Premier League. However, that is not the case and Rudiger is free to discuss his future elsewhere.
Antonio Rudiger has been at Chelsea since 2017 and had a slow start to his Chelsea career. However, he has proved his importance to the club with time and is now one of the core players in the starting lineup. He has been vital to Chelsea’s recent success and silverware. However, many may argue whether he should be the highest-paid defender in the league which is why Chelsea is resistant to renewing his contract.
Rudiger’s contract expires in June 2022 and he is now free to discuss his future with other clubs. He has previously rejected Real Madrid‘s proposal and asked if they can give him better wages than Madrid. However, that has not been the case and the contract talks are now broken down.
Chelsea will now look forward to signing a defender if Rudiger’s move away from the club is imminent. Even Bayern Munich are not able to afford his wages which is why they are not interested in signing the German, according to Fabrizio Romano. Although Chelsea is a wealthy club, Rudiger’s demands are too high and he might have to settle for less later.
Why losing Antonio Rudiger is a huge loss for Chelsea?
Antonio Rudiger’s last-ditch tackles have won Chelsea a lot of matches and also the final of the Champions League. He has been very important for Chelsea in the past few seasons and also for the German national team. He has matured his gameplay at Chelsea and has got habituated to the style of play under Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea might face difficulties in finding another defender of his kind at an affordable price. Rudiger is in his prime age where he could perform at the maximum of his physical abilities. He almost starts every game for Chelsea and has been there with them during their tough times.
Chelsea’s other defenders like Thiago Silva, Christensen, Chalobah do not have the physicality of Rudiger. The German’s pace and physicality in the backline of Chelsea are second to none. Even if Chelsea does sign Kounde, they may not enjoy the physical presence of Rudiger with Kounde.
Many fans would not want Rudiger to leave Chelsea but they might have to live through the harsh truth if contract talks do not begin again. Rudiger’s affection for the club has been very clear in the matches that he has played and celebrated the goals. However, the contract talks make people question his loyalty to the club.
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