Chelsea have been told they should consider making Antonio Rudiger their highest paid player rather than risking him losing him for nothing next summer.
Rudiger has been a revelation under Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel, putting himself in the world’s top bracket of central defenders with some remarkable performances.
The German player had fallen out of favour under previous manager Frank Lampard, but has since emerged as one of Chelsea’s key men.
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Rudiger was important in Chelsea’s Champions League final winning campaign last season, while he is also one of the first names on the team sheet for Germany under Hansi Flick and previous coach Joachim Low.
But, Rudiger’s current contract at Stamford Bridge ends in the summer of 2022, and the Blues could risk losing the 28-year-old for nothing.
According to reports, both parties are at an impasse over contract terms, with Rudiger rejecting an offer of £125,000 per week.
Former Chelsea defender Robert Huth believes the club can’t risk losing the player, with the cost of replacing him far outweighing any salary increase.
“From a Chelsea point of view, do you give Antonio Rudiger what he wants and consider how much it would cost Chelsea to replace him?” Huth said. “When Lampard was in charge, it didn’t look like he was going to turn it around as well as he has done.”
Rudiger was linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain during the summer, and there will be many top teams more than happy to pay him what he wants next year.
Bayern Munich have also been linked with the former Roma and Stuttgart defender, while Real are still searching for suitable replacements for Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane.
Rudiger reportedly wants as much as £400,000 per week in any new contract, which would make him Chelsea’s highest paid player, that would see him earn £50,000 more than Romelu Lukaku.
“He’s been absolutely brilliant. In reality, what would it cost to replace him? It’ll probably cost around £40-50million to replace him,” Huth explained.
“They know what he can do and he’s been performing well. It’s a good position for Antonio to be in terms of negotiations because all the top clubs in Europe will be looking at him.”
