Antonio Rudiger will leave Chelsea in the summer and the player has already agreed a four-year deal with Juventus, according to reports.
Having been deemed almost surplus to requirements by Frank Lampard, Rudiger has been one of the main benificiary of Chelsea’s decision to replace the club legend with Thomas Tuchel.
The 29-year-old has emerged as the key defensive cornerstone in the Chelsea side and is a popular, authoritative figure in the dressing room.
Rudiger, however, is out of contract at the end of the campaign and he had been seeking parity with Chelsea’s top earners, long before the Government’s decision to seize Roman Abramovich’s assets.
Under the terms of the special license they are currently operating under, the Blues are unable to negotiate new contracts and, as a result, Rudiger has taken the decision to leave.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Rudiger has agreed a long-term deal with Juventus, who have been masters of the free transfer market in the past, snapping up players like Andrea Pirlo, Ramsey, Dani Alves and Sami Khedira in the past without paying any fee.
Speaking after the win over Lille in the Champions League, Rudiger was coy on his future, hinting he would not make his decision public until the end of a season which could still end in glory for Chelsea.
‘In the case of transfer rumours, it is well known that the media always like to add a little more salt and pepper to make the headline a bit more explosive and bigger,’ he said.
‘Accordingly, you will not hear from me until the day of the final decision. We still have a lot to do at Chelsea this season, and my full focus at the moment is on the City game. My agent is currently taking care of everything else.’
