Chelsea looking at a number of new centre backs with Rudiger's future uncertain
The German's contract runs out in June 2022
Chelsea are exploring the options of a number of new centre backs with slight concerns whether Antonio Rudiger will sign a new deal at the club.
I’m told that Rudiger is happy at Chelsea and would prefer to stay in London. However, the club and his reps are some way apart on agreeing a fee for his weekly wages for his new proposed contract.
Talks are ongoing but nothing is close to being concluded and I’m told that some people at the club are 50/50 as to whether a deal might be done and Rudiger will be getting potentially bigger offers elsewhere.
Rudiger himself says he has not spoken to any other clubs and this will be the biggest decision of his life.
But I understand there are a number of clubs who have registered an interest willing to offer him larger wages than Chelsea are at the time of writing this.
I’ve always believed that a deal will be struck and the two parties will find an agreement somewhere near where both will be happy, and I do still feel this could be the case.
However, the reality is that we might end up losing Rudiger for free next summer, and contingency plans are being made by Chelsea.
Jules Kounde from Sevilla as we know is still a major target and the club are expected to move back in for him in January, or possibly in the summer.
But I’ve been told that there are other names being looked at as well and Kounde might not be the only new centre back that could arrive in the next one or two windows.
Unfortunately I’ve not got any names given to me as of yet but I will keep digging.
Spanish source ‘AS’ reported that we were readying an offer for Juventus centre back Matthijs de Ligt yesterday, but I haven’t heard anything on that and these guys aren’t the best source around to be honest.
Simon Phillips