Chelsea are looking to explore a move for former star Antonio Rudiger and take advantage of his contractual situation at Real Madrid in January.
According to Fichajes, Chelsea are exploring the idea of bringing Antonio Rudiger back to the club ahead of the January window. The German international is in the final year of his deal, and there are doubts over a contract renewal, something the Blues are eager to take advantage of in the winter window.
Chelsea suffered a massive blow at the start of the season when Levi Colwill suffered a potential season-ending ACL injury. The setback led to calls to bring in a new central defender, something the club never obliged, and instead placed their trust in their current stars.
Enzo Maresca has had an inconsistent start to the season, with the defence being blamed for some of the bad displays so far. Hence, the Blues might be in the market to sign a new centre-back, with the likes of Sven Botman being linked with a move.
There will be obvious challenges to sign a top-level centre-back in the winter window, which has led Chelsea towards exploring a potential move for former star Antonio Rudiger. The 32-year-old Real Madrid star has not had a good start to the season, missing most of the games so far with a hamstring problem.
Real Madrid are already planning new defensive signings in future windows, with the club linked with potential free agents Marc Guehi and Ibrahima Konate ahead of next summer. The indication that the club are willing to bring in fresh faces could be a drawback for the likes of Rudiger, who is already into the final year of his deal at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Chelsea could make Antonio Rudiger approach
Chelsea weighed in on a move back in the summer for Rudiger, and now, they could look to take advantage of his situation to approach the defender in January. Real Madrid have not initiated contract talks with the 32-year-old star so far, which could fuel speculation around his future. Xabi Alonso might want to keep a player of his quality in the team until next summer, which may complicate Chelsea’s chase.
Rudiger prefers to stay in Madrid and would be open to discussing fresh terms with the club. However, Chelsea have maintained a good relationship with his representatives after he departed Stamford Bridge for Real Madrid, as they could try their luck in convincing the German over a switch back to London and leave Real Madrid.