Chelsea plan ‘last attempt’ to keep star defender at the club by offering lucrative wages

Transfer News: Chelsea set to launch ‘last attempt’ to renew the contract of Antonio Rudiger

According to El Nacional (h/t Mirror), Chelsea are planning to offer Antonio Rudiger a better deal than Real Madrid to keep him at Stamford Bridge. 

Antonio Rudiger has been one of the best players for the Blues this season and the only senior central defender to stay relatively fit from injuries throughout the season. He has made 31 appearances across all competitions and has bagged three essential goals in crucial games. 

However, this is not the first season Rudiger has proven influential at the back. The former Roma man played a massive role in Chelsea’s Champions League triumph last season and was a rock at the back in the final where they kept a clean sheet against Manchester City. 

After his incredible performances and top-level consistency, Rudiger is becoming a big figure at Chelsea.

Chelsea are currently in a contract stand-off with the German international. If the Blues board fail to reach an agreement over a new deal before the end of the season, we could lose him in the summer for free. 

Rudiger to Madrid, Bayern, PSG?

Amidst such a situation, Real Madrid recently made a lucrative offer to the central defender to lure him away from Stamford Bridge. At the same time, European heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have also been monitoring the situation.

But it is now claimed that Chelsea are reluctant to give away one of their prime centre backs without a fight. The current UEFA Champions League holders are set to make one final offer to the German international with an increased wage deal – better than the one Los Blancos have put forward. 

It is believed that the Blues owner Roman Abramovich desires to keep hold of Rudiger and is set to meet with his representatives to discuss a new contract. That comes as a timely boost for us given Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta’s ageing bodies and Andreas Christensen’s contract situation.

Rudiger has developed himself into one of the best defenders in England. To find a player with a similar skill set would be difficult, and our board may have to shell out a pretty penny to find a like-for-like replacement. It is clearly a smarter move to keep hold of a talented, in-form centre-back who is still just 28.

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But the club has to be smart and offer a wage deal that isn’t overly audacious. Otherwise, what is to stop other players from demanding similar pay rises in the future?