Manchester United have registered their interest in signing Chelsea central defender Antonio Rudiger, according to reports.
The German star has established himself as a vital part of Chelsea’s defence, especially after Thomas Tuchel took over from Frank Lampard as manager in January.
But the player is out of contract at the end of the campaign and could leave Stamford Bridge on a free transfer if he fails to agree a new contract.
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Thomas Tuchel is keen for Rudiger to extend his stay at the club but the defender has attracted huge interest from several teams across Europe.
According to The Independent, the Red devils are among the Premier League clubs who have registered their interest along with Tottenham.
But the report claims that if he decides to leave the club, Rudiger would prefer to leave the Premier League altogether rather than join one of the London club’s rivals.
Real Madrid are reported to be leading the race to sign Rudiger as they have held discussions with the player’s brother and agent brother Sahr Senesie.
The report claims that an ‘informal agreement’ was reached with the player’s representative and Madrid after talks last month but a contract has not been signed.
Senesie has also met with Bayern to discuss the possibility of a return to the German league.
Speaking about Rudiger’s future last month, Tuchel said: ‘He’s been outstanding from the first day to now. I hope it stays like this. ‘Defensively we are strong as usual and they deserve the praise for it.
‘They do a lot of invisible work, they protect each other, support and are brave in attacking. We want to be dangerous from set-pieces.
‘Everybody wants him to stay, it’s clear and he knows it but sometimes there is a delay in these things and there is obviously a delay. ‘It can happen these days but it does not affect his mentality, it doesn’t affect his quality, it doesn’t affect his behaviour.
‘He is fully committed to Chelsea right now and I am absolutely sure he feels the trust, respect and love from the club and spectators.
‘He knows what he has here, a fantastic club, fantastic league. He’s a competitor. ‘We’ll have a bit of patience and hopefully a happy end.’
