CHELSEA contract rebel Antonio Rudiger is nearing a move to Real Madrid after the centre-back held ‘positive talks’ with the La Liga giants, reports suggest.
Rudiger is out-of-contract at the end of the season, with Chelsea no closer to tying him down to a new deal.
The Germany international has turned down an offer worth £140,000-a-week from Chelsea as Real Madrid talks progress at an ‘encouraging pace,’ according to The Guardian.
Bayern Munich and PSG are also interested, but it is Madrid who are currently leading the race.
Reports last week had suggested Rudiger had reached an ‘informal agreement’ to join up with the 13-time Champions League winners at the end of the campaign.
The 28-year-old is is represented by his brother, Sahr Senesie, who has met with Madrid President Florentino Perez, as well as chiefs at Bayern Munich.
Nothing official has been signed as of yet, with negotiations allowed to get underway from January 1.
Rudiger currently earns around £100,000-a-week, but looks set to become one of the highest paid players in the world next summer.
Any deal he signs is expected to match Juventus star Matthijs de Ligt – who earns £400K-A-WEEK.
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The Blues are also at risk of losing three more defenders – with Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Thiago Silva’s contracts all expiring at the same time as Rudiger’s.
Club captain Azpilicueta is a target for Barcelona and Chelsea players are fearing one of the club’s most influential players could be heading for an exit.
Christensen too is on the radar of Spanish giants Barcelona.
Although there is hope that the 25-year-old Denmark international could put pen-to-paper on a new contract in the coming days.
And in more good news for Chelsea fans The Guardian also report that Silva is understood to be optimistic over penning a new deal.
The 37-year-old has proven to be invaluable since joining from PSG in 2020, and signed a one-year extension with the Blues in June of this year.
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