Fabrizio Romano: Chelsea Antonio Rüdiger set to join Real Madrid, official announcement to come at season end
According to a tweet by transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea star Antonio Rüdiger will sign a formal contract with Real Madrid till June 2026 in the coming days; the deal is apparently already sealed. The official announcement will be made by the club at the end of the season.
The centre-back, whose contract at Stamford Bridge expires on June 30, has agreed to join Los Galacticos. This comes as little surprise to supporters since there had been a feeling that the German was not going to renew his deal with each passing week.
After Rudiger’s outstanding performance against them in the Champions League, Los Blancos may have gotten the audition they needed before sealing the big move. Rudiger scored Chelsea’s second goal in a stunning 3-2 win at the Bernabeu last month, but the Blues were eliminated after losing 5-4 on aggregate.
According to The Guardian, Rudiger rejected Chelsea’s offer at the end of the negotiations, and the uncertainty surrounding the club’s ownership has played a role in his upcoming exit. The ex-Bayer Leverkusen and Roma defender was not willing to wait for Abramovich to sell the club and has decided to seek a new challenge and move to the Bernabeu.
This has been further confirmed as per Fabrizio Romano on Twitter.
What effect will this have on Chelsea?
The potential loss of Rudiger will be a major blow to Thomas Tuchel, whose defence will be weakened further by Andreas Christensen’s potential free transfer to Barcelona. Chelsea’s prospective new owners could be nudged in the direction of bringing in new faces.
And even if the club dips into the transfer market, the west Londoners would understand the task at hand when it comes to replacing a defender of Rudiger’s experience, ability, and stature. The German defender has progressed to become one of the finest in England, creating an impact in almost every game he participates in.
Rudiger has been a fan favourite because of the amount of effort he puts into each tackle and his dedication to the team and the cause. He stood out among the other defenders at the club and has been very professional during his contract ordeal with Chelsea- not letting off-field matters have an effect on his on-field performance.
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Finding a replacement for his outstanding defender will be a difficult assignment for the German coach. According to Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg on Twitter, RB Leipzig player Josko Gvardiol might be one of them, Tuchel is also a keen admirer of the youngster’s talents.
But first, they must ensure that the ownership issues are fixed and that they are granted permission to acquire players during the summer transfer window. Losing a defender of Rudiger’s quality on a potential free transfer is a further blow considering the amount players of his age profile and skillset can potentially generate in transfer fees. This would be a setback for everyone at Chelsea but one that the club must bounce back from by backing Thomas Tuchel appropriately.