Published: October 3, 2021 4:34 pm
Last Updated: October 3, 2021 7:03 pm
A fresh insight into the future of starring Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has been forthcoming online this weekend.
Rudi shining
German international Rudiger has of course enjoyed a scintillating opening to the new campaign.
After being brought back in from the cold to establish himself as a key contributor at Chelsea over the 2nd half of last season, the 28-year-old has stepped things up yet another notch to this point in 2021/22.
Rudiger has played every minute of both the Blues’ Premier League and European campaigns, looking an absolute rock no matter his defensive partner.
So impressive has the ex-Roma man been that some have already begun to point towards a ‘best defender in England’ tag, with his near-assist for Romelu Lukaku’s disallowed opener versus Southampton on Saturday highlighting just what a force Rudiger has become when on the ball, too.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 19: Antonio Rüdiger of Chelsea heads the ball under pressure from Cristian Romero of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 19, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images)
Real & Bayern lie in wait
In turn, amid the finest stretch of the stopper’s playing career, his contract situation in West London has long marked something of a concern.
Rudiger’s current terms are due to expire next summer, with the player, to this point, having kept his cards close to his chest when it comes to his intentions moving forward.
Such uncertainty, in turn, sparked reports late last month that ‘Rudi’ has been targeted by German heavyweights Bayern Munich, with preliminary talks over the possibility of a free transfer already underway between the two parties:
Bayern Munich have registered an interest in Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger 👀@NizaarKinsella & @kerry_hau have the details 👇
— Goal News (@GoalNews) September 23, 2021
And now, as outlined above, a fresh insight into the situation has been forthcoming.
The info comes courtesy of the reliable Simon Johnson of The Athletic, who confirms that the hold-up in progressive negotiations towards a new deal stems from financial disagreements.
Rudiger, at present, is understood to earn around £100,000-per-week at Stamford Bridge.
This sum places the 28-year-old outside Chelsea’s list of top-10 earners, behind the likes of youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi and out-of-favour midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
‘Rudi’, in turn, is said to have requested a base salary of around £200,000-a-week as part of any new contract, not unreasonable considering his ever-increasing importance to Thomas Tuchel’s backline.
The initial offer put forth by those in a position of power in the capital, by all accounts, fell some way short of this figure, whilst the Blues faithful will no doubt be concerned to hear that both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich would be willing to meet the defender’s demands.
A January pre-contract agreement being struck with one of European football’s giants is therefore not out of the question.
However, crucially, it is added that Rudiger’s preference is to remain a Chelsea player moving forward, with contract talks, as a result, likely to rumble on over the weeks and months ahead.
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This article was edited by
Josh Barker.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Chelsea FC | 7 | 12 | 16 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 6 | 11 | 14 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 7 | 8 | 14 |
| 4 | Everton FC | 7 | 5 | 14 |
| 5 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 7 | 3 | 14 |
| 6 | Manchester City | 6 | 11 | 13 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| 9 | Arsenal FC | 7 | -5 | 10 |
| 10 | Brentford FC | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| 11 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 7 | -1 | 9 |
| 12 | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | -5 | 9 |
| 13 | Leicester City | 6 | -3 | 7 |
| 14 | Watford FC | 7 | -3 | 7 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 6 | -3 | 6 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 7 | -7 | 6 |
| 17 | Southampton FC | 7 | -5 | 4 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | 7 | -6 | 3 |
| 19 | Newcastle United | 7 | -8 | 3 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 7 | -14 | 1 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 5 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 4 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 4 |
| Sarr, Ismaila | Watford FC | 4 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 3 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 3 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 3 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Hwang, Hee-chan | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 2 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 4 |
| Skipp, Oliver | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 4 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 3 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 3 |
| Veltman, Joel | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 3 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Djenepo, Moussa | Southampton FC | 0 | 3 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 0 | 1 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 2 |
| Jimenez, Raul | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 2 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ward Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 1 | 1 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 4 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 3 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 2 |
| Jimenez, Raul | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Azpilicueta, Cesar | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| King, Joshua | Watford FC | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 2 |
