Chelsea close to agreeing new deal for defender Antonio Rudiger as Bayern Munich eye Andreas Christensen instead
According to Goal (h/t Express), Chelsea are nearing an agreement with defender Antonio Rudiger over a new contract that is set to keep him at Stamford Bridge for a few more years.
Rudiger moved to the club in 2017 after impressing at AS Roma, and has slowly established himself into one of the Blues’ most reliable defenders. He is currently at the height of his powers as he has hardly put a foot wrong for manager Thomas Tuchel.
The Blues boss will be relieved to hear about this news, which is sure to come as a transfer boost for the club. As it were, Chelsea looked set to lose Rudiger for free in the summer when his current deal with the club runs out.
The 28-year-old’s contract situation at Stamford Bridge saw him linked with several European giants including Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain. With progress finally being made with Chelsea, there will be positive news on his contract sooner rather than later.
Shifting the goalposts
Given that Bayern are now set to lose out on Rudiger at the end of the season, it is claimed that they have set their sights on another Chelsea defender, Andreas Christensen. The academy product, like Rudiger, is also out of contract in the summer.
So far, the Dane has not shown any indication of committing his future to the London side beyond the summer. With Bayern hovering, it looks like Chelsea could lose the talented 25-year-old for free to the German giants. Niklas Sule’s bosman move to Borussia Dortmund appears to be setting off a chain reaction that could end up with us losing Christensen.
Chelsea’s contractual situation concerning their defensive stars has caught the attention of several big clubs, with Rudiger, Christensen, and captain Cesar Azpilicueta all into the final few months of their current deals with the club. Three of Tuchel’s first-choice defenders, it would be a huge blow for the German to lose all three stars in the same transfer window that too for free..
Bayern seem to have taken a keen interest in the situation, as some of the Premier League’s best centre-backs would be available for free at the end of the season. They clearly have options to choose from as well, with the Bundesliga club shifting their target from Rudiger to Christensen, it would appear that we cannot catch a break.
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The German giants losing Sule to rivals Dortmund is sure to see Bayern ramp up their efforts to bring in a replacement for the player. In Christensen, they have a young and talented defender who would be looking to enter the prime years of his career soon.
Chelsea, meanwhile, will focus on tying down Christensen and Azpilicueta to new contracts once Rudiger signs on the dotted line. Tuchel will hope that the club have it sorted out soon as we continue to battle against time to see the agreement over the line.