Reports | Real Madrid frontrunners to sign Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger on pre-contract deal

Few players have impressed this season as much as Antonio Rudiger has with the German defender thriving for Chelsea especially under Thomas Tuchel. The 28-year-old’s impact was negligible when he first signed from AS Roma but things have changed under the German with Rudiger and Thiago Silva a key part of defense for the club. It saw the two men thrive as the Blues lifted the Champions League trophy last season and so far that trend has continued.

However, with less than seven months left on his contract, reports indicated that Rudiger is looking for a big payday and that is something that Chelsea are reportedly not keen on giving him. It has seen the German run down his current deal and he has also been heavily linked with a move away. AS has further reported that Real Madrid are now the front-runners to sign the 28-year-old with the Los Blancos eyeing defensive reinforcements after losing Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane last summer.

The report has indicated that the La Liga giants are hopeful of convincing Rudiger to decline a new deal at Chelsea and sign for them in January on a pre-contract deal. Not only that, AS has reported that the Blues don’t plan to offer Rudiger the financial figure he wants, which could be a deal-breaker in negotiations.