Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has revealed that Antonio Rudiger has confirmed that he will be leaving the club this summer. The German defender kept 52 clean sheets in the Premier League with the London club. Antonio Rudiger is set now to leave the club after failing to agree on a new deal with the club.
Antonio Rudiger set to Leave Chelsea, Tuchel Confirms
29-year-old Rudiger was offered a new contract worth more than £200,000 a week, which would have made him the best-paid defender in the club’s history but he wanted higher pay. According to reports, the signing-on and agent’s fees demanded by Rudiger’s camp have proved too steep for the club. Tuchel said: “He informed me some days ago in a personal talk.”
Thomas Tuchel had hoped to keep Antonio Rudiger at Chelsea but the Germany international has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid. Tuchel said: “We gave everything and now we enter a situation where we can’t fight anymore because of the sanctions and now Toni will leave.”
He also said: “Our hands are tied. I don’t know what would have been the outcome [without the sanctions]. That’s his decision. It’s not a nice one for us but we don’t take it personally. “He is a key figure and will stay a key figure for us.
We will miss him a lot. He is a guy who gives people courage, who people are a bit afraid of. He plays 55 games a season for 90 minutes at an outstanding level. “He was the top defender in the past one and a half years with me and I have nothing but respect for him.”
Chelsea could also lose center-back Andreas Christensen this summer to Barcelona. The Denmark international’s contract is up at the end of the season and will be allowed to leave on a free transfer, with Barcelona agreeing on a deal to sign the 26-year-old.
