Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger is ‘close to an agreement’ with Real Madrid as he looks set to leave Stamford Bridge on a free transfer this summer.
That’s according to Sky Sports Germany, who say the player’s representatives ‘continue to hold talks’ with several of Europe’s top sides.
For the uninitiated, Rudiger is out of contract at Chelsea in the summer, and while the Blues are keen to keep hold of him, talks over the last few months have not progressed.
Their efforts have now been held up by the sanctions imposed on the club, which make it impossible for Chelsea to sanction any new contracts at this moment in time.
That’s seen Rudiger reopen talks with clubs around Europe, and Real Madrid, having previously pulled back, are now in the picture once more.
According to Sky, they are ‘close to an agreement’ with the defender, and the Spanish side are ‘confident’ they will be able to sign him on a free transfer.
While an extended stay at Chelsea is not completely out of the question, the sanctions stopping the Blues from doing any transfer business have opened the door for their competitors.
Thomas Tuchel is keen to keep his compatriot, and Rudiger has paused making a final decision until the summer, out of ‘respect’ for Chelsea.
Madrid are not the only ones circling, with PSG also ‘in talks’ with the player and Barcelona having met his agent last month as well.
For now, it seems the defender is just assessing his options, but one of those, Real Madrid, are growing confident they’ve won the race.
