Chelsea defender, Antonio Rudiger, has agreed on a four year deal to join Spanish giants, Real Madrid, next summer after refusing to sign a contract extension with the UEFA Champions League defending champions.
Antonio, whose contract comes to an end this summer in the West London club, will join Real Madrid on a free transfer The Trumpet gathered.
Though there have been growing speculations of the player heading to Italy to join Juventus, Madrid seems to have won the race to get Rudiger’s signature.
More so, Los Blancos archrivals Barcelona, which are undergoing a rebuilding process, were also interested in the former Roma defender who joined Chelsea in 2019 through a deal worth £29million.
According to reports, Chelsea was ready to make the player the highest-paid defender in the club’s history with over £200,000 earnings per week, but signing-on and agent fees shattered the agreement.
However, with the news of the player heading to Spain, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel lamented that the player was an integral part of his plans for next season.
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Speaking to Sky Sports after West Ham match, where Chelsea narrowly grabbed a win, Tuchel said: “The situation is that he wants to leave the club. He informed me of this in a private talk.
“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,” he added.
