Sources differ on Rudiger contract plans, but agree on bad news for Chelsea
Two sources have offered polar opposite views on whether Antonio Rudiger intends to sign a new Chelsea contract, though they did find agreement elsewhere.
The German centre-half has been simply sensational in the Thomas Tuchel era at Chelsea. Rudiger has made the left-sided centre-back role his own in his manager’s favoured back three system.
The 28-year-old is rarely rotated compared to his fellow centre-halves. That indicates just how highly he is thought of by Tuchel at a time when chopping and changing star players is increasingly common.
However, Rudiger is in the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge. Given his stellar form in recent times, it is no surprise to see clubs the calibre of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG linked with his free agent acquisition next summer.
Chelsea and Tuchel would love nothing more than to tie Rudiger down to fresh terms. However, two sources have offered polar opposite views on the player’s intentions regarding his contract.
Firstly Goal state Rudiger has ‘no intention’ of signing a new deal in the capital. In stark contrast, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano tweeted the defender is “happy” at Chelsea and would “love” to stay with the European champions.
But despite their disagreement on that front, they did find common ground elsewhere.
Latest Chelsea offer irks Rudiger
Both outlets noted little progress is being made from Chelsea’s perspective. Goal state Chelsea’s most recent renewal offer was worth £7m net per year. That figure matches what Bild reported earlier in the month, with that offer reportedly treated as a ‘slap in the face’ by Rudiger.
That amount would reportedly see the German earn less than players of far lesser importance to the squad, including Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Marcos Alonso.
Romano echoed those sentiments, adding that Chelsea’s latest proposal is “still far from what’s expected” by Rudiger.
Romano namechecked the usual suspects of Real, Bayern and PSG as those poised to pounce if an agreement can’t be reached.
Goal were particularly strong on Real’s prospects, describing them as ‘optimistic’ over signing Rudiger who is their ‘preferred’ centre-back target.
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Meanwhile, Tuchel has told Marcos Alonso he has his “trust” after becoming the only left-back available to Chelsea for the foreseeable future.
Tuchel had three left-backs to rely on last season: Alonso, Ben Chilwell and Emerson Palmieri. Chilwell was the regular starter, meaning gametime was harder to come by for the Spaniard.
But Alonso is now the only one available for the next few months. Emerson left the club in the summer, while Chilwell recently suffered an ACL injury. And despite stating Callum Hudson-Odoi can deputise in the position, Tuchel threw his complete backing behind Alonso.
“We trust him, won Premier League games with him. He is very experienced,” said the German.
“We have two specialists for one position. Both play for their national teams, and it can be very hard for them as they compete for one position.
“Suddenly, if one has a longer injury like Ben, it can seem like we don’t have enough. Can Marcos play eight matches every three days, is that possible? Maybe not.
“Callum [Hudson-Odoi] can play on the left side as a wing-back and we have some other ideas we have to try.”
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