Chelsea transfer rumors: Antonio Rudiger in talks with Real Madrid

The future make up of Chelsea’s defense was unclear, to say the least, at the beginning of the campaign. The Blues have since made a number of decisive moves at the back. They quickly re-signed Trevoh Chalobah to lock him up long-term. The young defender became just the second Chelsea centerback to be under contract beyond this season, joining Malang Sarr. Furthermore, the Blues are in talks with Thiago Silva regarding another one-year extension and it’s only a matter of time before that is official. Despite some bumps in the road, Andreas Christensen is also expected to sign a new deal in the near future. That leaves just two players without contracts.

Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger are viewed as the least likely candidates to re-sign. The club has held discussions with both, indicating its interest in retaining the duo beyond this year, but Chelsea isn’t the only one knocking at the door of the talented defenders. Azpilicueta is the more likely to return of the two, although interest from Barcelona is tempting. The club captain has earned the right to decide his own future after a decade of amazing contributions at Stamford Bridge. Rudiger, on the other hand, has his own set of demands. It seems as if the Blues aren’t exactly willing to meet those figures, which is why other clubs are lurking. As the winter window rapidly approaches, Real Madrid seems more likely to sign Rudiger than Chelsea at this moment.

The most frightening prospect is the fact that the Blues are letting this situation go down to the wire. Marina Granovskaia seldom lets players’ deals run out because the phrase ‘outbound free transfer’ is not in her vocabulary. She runs an excellent business, but this may be one of her biggest blunders. In two weeks’ time, Rudiger is free to open discussions with whatever club he wants regarding a pre-contract for the summer. He’s been an integral part to Chelsea’s defensive excellence. Although he isn’t irreplaceable, he’s important nonetheless. If this wasn’t the case, the club wouldn’t still be holding discussions regarding a potential contract extension.

If the Blues are going to let him join the Spanish giant—who seems to be the only club in Europe ready to pay his insane wage demands—it means they need to find a replacement in January. If they are going to lose arguably their best central defender, they need time to integrate a new signing into the starting XI before Rudiger’s departure. Chelsea has a lot riding on this season as it relates to trophies and the German’s contract standoff cannot be allowed to hinder that. Jules Kounde is still reportedly an option for the Blues after their serious interest in the summer. As for other targets, the rumor mill has been relatively quiet. This means that the Blues’ board is either confident in its ability to re-sign Rudiger or it has something massive lined up already. Either way, there is no reason to doubt Granovskaia.

As for Real Madrid, if Los Blancos are willing to open their checkbook, they will likely be able to lure Rudiger away from SW6. The Chelsea left centerback has excelled in the position since Thomas Tuchel took over in January. However, there are questions as to how much of that success can be attributed to the systematic change. The Blues are seemingly not going to break their wage structure over an in-form centerback, regardless of how crucial Rudiger has been to their defensive excellence under the German gaffer.

This situation is as tricky as they come. In two weeks, the decision will solely lie with Rudiger as he enters ‘pre-free agency’ and can openly hold discussions with European suitors. The most important thing the Blues can do going forward is make sure they are in a position to succeed regardless of Rudiger’s decision. If he goes to Real Madrid, Granovskaia and Co. need to go into Los Blancos’ back yard and poach Kounde before the Spanish giants sign him too.

Where do you think Rudiger ends up? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!