Chelsea defender, Antonio Rudiger has reportedly agreed terms with Italian Serie A giants, Juventus according to reports in the United Kingdom.
The report claims that the 29-year-old German defender could be among the first footballers at Chelsea that might exit the club amid the ongoing sanctions against the club’s owner Roman Abramovich.
Recall that Abramovich has been banned from doing any business with citizens or organizations in the United Kingdom due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Due to the sanctions against him, Chelsea will not be able to renew contracts, sign new players, sell match tickets and sell merchandise until the club gets a new owner.
Unfortunately, Antonio Rudiger happens to be one of the players at Chelsea whose contracts will expire on June 30, 2022.
Before Abramovich was sanctioned and an embargo was placed on Chelsea, the Premier League club were trying to convince Rudiger to renew his contract with the club.
Reports claimed that Rudiger was willing to renew his contract with Chelsea but wanted to be among one of the highest-paid players at the club. But Chelsea were not ready to offer him as much as the German footballer wanted.
As the negotiations were ongoing, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine happened and disrupted the protocol at the Premier League club due to the ties between the club’s owner and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to a report by a UK publication, Mirror, Rudiger has decided to leave Chelsea this summer. The publication quoted Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport which claimed that Rudiger has agreed terms with Juventus.
While reacting to the transfer rumor linking him with a move out of Chelsea recently, Antonio Rudiger said according to the Mirror: “In the case of transfer rumors, it is well known that the media always like to add a little more salt and pepper to make the headline a bit more explosive and bigger. Accordingly, you will not hear from me until the day of the final decision.
“We still have a lot to do at Chelsea this season, and my full focus at the moment is on the City game. My agent is currently taking care of everything else.”
Recently, transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano tweeted that Rudiger is wanted at Juventus but the club has not reached full agreement with the German footballer.
Toni Rüdiger has been approached by more than three clubs in the last weeks including Juventus who are pushing as they’re looking for a new centre back – but he has still no full agreement with any club, as things stand. 🇩🇪 #CFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 19, 2022
FC Bayern are no longer in the race since January. pic.twitter.com/r8jwE9F3WM
What is the contract status of Antonio Rudiger and his stats at Chelsea
Antonio Rudiger joined Chelsea from Roma on July 9, 2017, for a transfer fee worth €35 million. His contract with the Premier League club will expire on June 30, 2022.
Reports claimed that the 29-year-old German defender currently earns £100,000 per week.
Since he joined the club, Rudiger has played 190 games in all competitions in which he scored 10 goals and provided 7 assists.
So far this season, Rudiger has played 41 games in all competitions in which he scored 3 goals and provided four assists.
It might interest you to note that Antonio Rudiger is married to Laura Rudiger. They were married in 2019. The marriage has produced two children – Djamal Sahr Rüdiger (son) and Aaliyah Trophy Rüdiger (daughter).
