Antonio Rudiger turned down an offer worth more than £200,000 a week to stay at Chelsea, with the defender set to leave Stamford Bridge in the summer.
Telegraph Sport understands that Rudiger rejected Chelsea’s huge offer weeks before the sanctions placed on Roman Abramovich which prevent the club from agreeing new contracts with players or making signings.
Having already made one offer worth over £150,000 a week, Chelsea believed they had matched Rudiger’s demands by making their last offer over £200,000 a week. But the German’s representatives wanted a signing-on fee worth over £10 million, plus agents fees in the same region, in addition to an even bigger salary for their client.
Chelsea have not commented on Rudiger’s situation, but it is believed the club felt their last offer was more than good enough and took the decision that the demands of the 29-year-old’s representatives had become too high.
With Andreas Christensen already understood to have agreed a deal to join Barcelona on a free transfer, Chelsea’s next owners face having to make spending big on at least one new central defender among their top priorities.
Rudiger is now expected to make a decision on his next move, with Real Madrid hoping to beat their Spanish rivals Barcelona to his signature on a free transfer when his Chelsea contract expires at the end of the season.
The player’s representatives have spoken to Real, Barca, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, and are set to hold one more round of talks before the German international makes a firm decision on his future. Manchester United are among those interested, but Rudiger cannot yet hold formal negotiations with Premier League clubs.
The three remaining bidders for Chelsea hope to find out who will be selected as the club’s preferred buyer next week, but a confirmed takeover must still be passed by the UK Government and the Premier League, which is likely to drag into next month.
Chelsea, though, had attempted to act well before Abramovich was sanctioned and the takeover process, and believe they have done everything in their power to keep Rudiger, who has been excellent under head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Captain Cesar Azpilicueta triggered a 12-month extension to his contract by reaching a set number of appearances, which was allowed under the terms of the operating licence, but the Spaniard’s Chelsea future is still not assured.
Azpilicueta has not yet ruled out a move to Barcelona at the end of the season, although whether or not new owners would sanction such a deal if Rudger heads out of the exit door with Christensen remains to be seen.
Tuchel confirmed Rudiger will miss the game against West Ham United through injury and Chelsea are likely to make a new attempt to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla this summer.
Kounde almost moved to Stamford Bridge 12 months ago and the Frenchman has remained on Chelsea’s radar ever since.
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