CHELSEA would save money by keeping Antonio Rudiger at the club and meeting his wage demands, according to ex-star Robert Huth.
Rudiger could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge after it was revealed he wasn’t happy with the Blues’ latest contract offer.
The German defender is reportedly eyeing a £400,000-a-week deal, which is £50k more than what team-mate Romelu Lukaku earns.
But club legend Huth reckons it would cost them even more to replace Rudiger.
He told BonusCodeBets: “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?”
Rudiger’s future at Chelsea looked bleak under former boss Frank Lampard but he’s managed to turn things around with new coach Thomas Tuchel.
The 28-year-old’s impressive performances this year have seen him become one of the club’s most valuable assets.
And off the back of his displays, Huth reckons Rudiger’s worth has sky-rocketed to as much as £50million, which is a price top European clubs would be willing to pay.
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Huth added: “When Lampard was in charge, it didn’t look like he was going to turn it around as well as he has done.
“He’s been absolutely brilliant. In reality, what would it cost to replace him? It’ll probably cost around 40-50 million to replace him.
“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.”
Bayern Munich, Juventus and Real Madrid have already expressed their interest in Rudiger, with the latter said to be ready to make a swoop in January.
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And they could end up signing him on a free as his contract is up this summer.
Sevilla star Jules Kounde has been lined up as a possible replacement for Rudiger, but the Blues will have to stump up a whopping £68m to activate his release clause.
However, Tuchel’s side are only willing to depart with £43m to land the Frenchman.
