Antonio Rudiger has become a key player for Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea after his career appeared to be dwindling, but his future now looks unclear with his contract set to expire next year.
Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea are still hopeful about tying him down to a new contract, but his wage demands are thought to be an issue.
Real Madrid have now joined Bayern Munich in the race to sign Rudiger in the summer, according to reports in Spain. The German is in the last year of his contract, as his current deal expires in the summer of 2022.
Considering his contract situation, the centre-back can even speak to teams about a pre-contract in January.
Rudiger is a key member of Thomas Tuchel’s five-man defence at present. Transfer expert Dean Jones told LiveScore:
“Tuchel has been so impressed with him, not only does he want him to stay, but he wants the club to prioritise the negotiations around it.
“He can’t really imagine his team right now without Rudiger to build upon.
“There are a couple of clubs that are looking at Rudiger’s situation and have opened discussions privately between intermediaries to let him know what would be on the table.
