Why Juventus are now favourites to sign Rudiger over Madrid
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 17 Mar 2022 08:48 GMT
- 3 min read
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger is poised to leave the club in the summer, but while he was initially expected to transfer to Real Madrid, reports suggest it is now Juventus who are favourites to sign the centre-back.
The 29-year-old Germany international is out of contract with Chelsea on June 30 and looks likely to leave the club.
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Sanctions placed on Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich means that the club has been forced to stall talks on new contracts, including the one for Rudiger. Indeed, a report from The Sun had indicated that the defender had agreed terms with the Blues before these sanctions abruptly stalled the process, which is now in limbo as the club waits for a new owner.
It could be Juventus rather than Real Madrid who profit from this delay, though.
With Madrid putting Kylian Mbappe as their summer priority, followed by Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, their energy and their budget has been placed elsewhere.
That is not the case for Juventus, though, with the Italian side absolutely chasing the defender.
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Juventus offer Rudiger big money
Gazetta dello Sport claims that Rudiger has been offered a salary package worth €7 million per season, which is in excess of what Real Madrid are willing to allocate to him at present.
Juventus are given an edge in this regard because of the growth decree, which offers foreign players the opportunity to be paid with a 50% tax discount on their salaries.
The defender has had the advantage of playing in Serie A previously, having moved to Chelsea from Roma.
Rudiger is presently one of the most valued centre-backs in the game, having become a keystone of Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea side, which won last season’s Champions League and is presently third in the Premier League.
