Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City are in talks with Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger over a potential free transfer next summer.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, as relayed by Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City are among two of the four clubs in contention to sign Antonio Rudiger. The Chelsea defender is unlikely to remain at Stamford Bridge, with his current contract expiring at the end of the season.
Chelsea have made efforts to extend Rudiger’s deal, but the defender has been left frustrated by the club’s sheer unwillingness to meet his demands. As a result, the German is now reportedly in talks with both Premier League rivals, as well as Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus over a free transfer next summer.
A move to either Tottenham or Manchester City will certainly raise a lot of eyebrows, as Rudiger has been playing at Chelsea for over four years now. During his time in west London, he has notched up 160 competitive appearances for the club while establishing himself as a fully-fledged German international with 48 caps.
Rudiger was even a key figure behind Chelsea’s successful Champions League last season. But it appears the player feels unvalued by the club and is, therefore, open to a move away from Stamford Bridge.
Manchester City are one of the four potential destinations for the former Stuttgart centre-back, but by the far the most shocking one, as the transfer would cause a bit of animosity between the player and the Chelsea fans.
The Citizens, after all, are the direct rivals of the Blues, having denied them multiple Premier League titles over the past decade. A move to Tottenham, in that regard, might not sit well with the Chelsea fans either, though a lot of them may consider the Lilywhites a downgrade due to the club’s mediocrity over the past couple of years.
Nevertheless, none of these teams are likely to snap up Rudiger next summer, as it is largely Juventus and PSG who are leading the chase. Real Madrid, too, are reportedly preparing a bumper contract offer for the German international in an attempt to lure him to the Spanish capital.
As for Chelsea, they are already preparing for life without their main defensive asset and have been linked with a move for Juventus’ very own prodigy in Matthijs de Ligt. It will be interesting to see if the two clubs can work out a potential swap deal involving the two players, though it appears unlikely that the Bianconeri would want to cash in on the Dutchman anytime soon.
