ANTONIO RUDIGER ‘AGREES FOUR-YEAR REAL MADRID CONTRACT’ AFTER THOMAS TUCHEL SAYS CHELSEA’S ‘HANDS TIED’ OVER RENEWAL
Antonio Rudiger is Real Madrid bound, according to the latest reports, with the German defender set to join as a free agent in the summer and sign a four-year contract with the club, who are on the verge of winning La Liga. Real are prepared to give Rudiger more money than Chelsea, whose “hands were tied” over enticing the centre-back with a better offer due to sanctions, Thomas Tuchel said.
Antonio Rudiger is reportedly set to sign a four-year contract at Real Madrid after Thomas Tuchel confirmed the defender is leaving Chelsea.
The German centre-back will not be renewing his deal at Stamford Bridge, with the final offer said to be a £230,000-a-week contract.
According to the Mail, Real’s offer far surpasses that amount, and though Barcelona, PSG and Juventus were also interested in signing Rudiger, the 29-year-old is expected to join the Liga champions elect this summer.
Chelsea’s attempts to keep him were no secret, but on Sunday, Tuchel said the club’s “hands were tied” after sanctions against owner Roman Abramovich prevented them from offering new contracts.
"The situation is that he wants to leave the club. He informed me of this in a private talk,” Tuchel said after the 1-0 win over West Ham.
"We gave everything - me and the club - but we could not fight anymore because of the actions. Without the sanctions we would at least be able to carry on fighting, but our hands are tied. We don't take it personally. It is his decision.
"He is a key figure and will stay that way until the end of the season. But it is disappointing. We will miss him a lot. He gives courage in the dressing room. The kind everyone is afraid of, but the kind to play 50-55 games at an outstanding level. He is a top defender in the last one-and-a-half years for me. We then need to find another solution."
Thiago Silva extended his contract before Chelsea were hit by the sanctions, but Andreas Christensen looks set to follow Rudiger out the door as a free agent as well.
Asked about how Chelsea would replace Rudiger, Tuchel added: "In the moment not, because of the sanctions. Hopefully the sanctions will be the past.
"We had a connection from day one and he deserves my full support. I'm just happy to have had the chance to coach him in the team and the club did as well. We had offers, big offers and the club tried everything but we cannot fight anymore. We have the sanctions, we can't continue. It is what it is.
"It would be ideal [for sanctions to be lifted before the transfer window] but even if we wish for it, you can't pull grass for it to grow faster. We have to deal with what the reality is. The sanctions are still in place and the situation is not cleared for next season. We try to focus on the last weeks."
Chelsea are down to three prospective buyers in the bidding process, and the club’s hope is that the sanctions will be lifted once new owners are in place.
On the pitch, Chelsea’s last-gasp win over West Ham kept them above the scrap for fourth, and they though are out of the Champions League, they have an FA Cup final meeting with Liverpool to look forward to on May 14.
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