Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has already decided his next club and has agreed a contract with Spanish giants Real Madrid, according to reports.
The Germany star is out of contract at Stamford Bridge at the end of the campaign and the London club have been unable to tie him down to a new deal, having made a last offer worth £230,000-a-week.
On Sunday, after Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over West Ham, manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed that Rudiger had decided to leave the club.
The restrictions imposed on Chelsea after Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the government meant the Blues could not offer any further improved terms, with Rudiger having been offered a huge payday elsewhere.
Bayern Munich, Italian giants Juventus and Manchester United were among the many teams keen to sign Rudiger, but it appears Real Madrid have now won the race.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the 29-year-old has accepted an offer from Real and all parties are now working on the final details before the contract is officially announced.
There were suggestions earlier this campaign that Real may have offered Rudiger as much as £400,000-per-week as well as an enormous signing-on fee and agent’s fee.
Chelsea were simply unable to compete with Real’s enormous offer, particularly with the uncertainty that still surrounds the club as Abramovich looks to sell up.
Rudiger will sign a long-term contract with Los Blancos imminently and joins a club who have enjoyed an excellent campaign domestically and in Europe, with Real currently 15 points clear at the top of the Liga table as well as being in the semi-final of the Champions League.
Confirming Rudiger’s looming departure, Tuchel said on Sunday: ‘We fought hard [to keep him]; I fought hard on a personal level. We made big offers to him, and the club tried everything.
‘But for some weeks we cannot fight any more because we have the sanctions. We cannot adjust. We cannot continue, and so it is what it is.’
He added: ‘He deserves my full support because he delivered incredible performances right until today. I’m just happy that I had the chance to coach him and to have him in the team. Because he was nothing but brilliant.’
Rudiger may not be the only defender leaving the club on a free transfer for La Liga this summer, with fellow contract rebel Andreas Christensen expected to officially sign for Barcelona.
