Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Antonio Rudiger will leave Chelsea this summer.
The centre-back’s contract at Stamford Bridge expires at the end of the season and the club have not been able to convince him to sign an extension.
Tuchel said after his side’s 1-0 win against West Ham on Sunday that the Germany international has decided to leave.
What did Tuchel say about Rudiger?
“The situation is that he wants to leave the club. He informed me of this in a private talk,” he said.
“We gave everything – me and the club – but we could not fight anymore because of the actions.
“Without the sanctions we would at least be able to carry on fighting, but our hands are tied. We don’t take it personally. It is his decision.”
Why is Rudiger leaving Chelsea?
Rudiger will leave at the end of the season after failing to reach agreement with Chelsea’s board for a new contract.
Real Madrid are leading the race to sign him and according to Fabrizio Romano, they have won the race ahead of the likes of Manchester United and Barcelona.
Chelsea did all that they could to keep the Germany international, including making a final offer of £230,000-a-week prior to the sanctions, but it was knocked back and since the club has been under a special operating licence by the Government. This means they are unable to conduct any transfer business, including player contracts.
This left Chelsea unable to continue negotiations with Rudiger over a new deal, and after being close to joining Real Madrid, there is now a verbal agreement in place.
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As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Rudiger has agreed a four-year contract at the Bernabeu and will sign a long-term deal with Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
The final details are now being discussed with the contract yet to be signed. It is also reported that even if a deal is done, it won’t be officially announced until the end of the season.
Who will replace Rudiger?
Familiar names like Jules Koundé and Pau Torres have already been floated in media reports, while Loan Army types Levi Colwill and Ethan Ampadu could find unexpectedly fertile ground in which to stake their first-team claims for next season.
Chelsea would likely replace Rudiger with Jules Kounde of Sevilla, with the Frenchman’s release clause coming into play in the summer.
Yet with Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta’s contracts expiring in the summer, Maguire could be seen as a potential back-up option to Kounde.
According to outlet Fichajes, Maguire will be sold this summer and the England International could well end up at Chelsea as a backup defender.
The report claim that United have lost faith with the centre-back after a poor season of form. Maguire became the most expensive defender in the world back in 2019 when he was bought from Leicester City for around £80m under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s management.
Despite being a consistent England starter during his United career and reaching the Euro 2020 final last summer, the former Leicester City man has come under staunch criticism this season for his performances from fans and pundits alike, with former Red Devils captain Roy Keane particularly scathing in his assessment.
Maguire is valued at around £43m by Transfermarkt.