Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are in the last year of their Chelsea deals. (Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images via The Chelsea Chronicle)
According to a report by Goal (h/t Express), Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger aren’t close to signing a new contract at Chelsea, which has led the club to consider three defenders as replacements.
The duo is in the final year of their deal which expires in the summer of 2022. The German defender signed from AS Roma and has become a vital part of Chelsea’s backline under Thomas Tuchel.
Andreas Christensen, 25, is similarly another important player at Stamford Bridge. They featured in the UEFA Champions League final in May and kept a clean sheet to hand the Blues only their second-ever UCL title.
But the club risks losing them next year. If no new contract is agreed upon, the pair can talk to foreign suitors in January ahead of a potential free transfer next summer.
In case it does come to that, the report mentions that Chelsea have a three-man shortlist consisting of 25-year-old Bayern Munich defender Niklas Sule and Sevilla youngster, Jules Kounde.
Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane is another name mentioned in the list. However, the 28-year-old is currently locked in a lengthy transfer saga with Chelsea’s Premier League rivals, Manchester United. (h/t Express)
The ideal scenario here would be to tie down Rudiger and Christensen to new deals. Signing a defender on top of keeping the defensive duo would be a wise move to strengthen the team for the future.
With Thiago Silva soon turning 37 and Marc Guehi and Fikayo Tomori already gone, the Blues need to make sure their defensive depth is sorted out for the short, as well as the long term.
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