Antonio Rudiger is in line for a huge wage boost if he decides to leave Chelsea next summer, amid continued uncertainty over his future at the club.
The Germany international has been in imperious form of late as a key cog in Thomas Tuchel’s relentless machine, with the club now looking like title challengers once again after having romped to the Champions League trophy last season.
While Thomas Tuchel’s arrival in January sparked a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the club since, it also prompted a rapid change in fortunes for the Blues defender. Rudiger had fallen firmly out of favour under former boss Frank Lampard at the start of last season, only for the German to be swiftly re-instated once the club legend had been sacked.
The 28-year-old is now earning rave reviews for his impressive displays as part of an almost impenetrable Chelsea backline, yet that hasn’t quelled the uncertainty surrounding his future at Stamford Bridge, with less than a year remaining on his existing deal.
As per the Mirror, the centre-back could become one of the best-paid defenders in the game should he opt to leave next summer, with Europe’s top sides monitoring his situation closely.
Rio Ferdinand believes Rudiger is the best centre back in the league 👀 pic.twitter.com/9cyUzfxDpF
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) September 21, 2021
The former Roma man is said to have been offered a new deal at the end of last season worth £130,000-a-week, a figure dwarfed by the reported £350,000-a-week contract that was handed to summer signing Romelu Lukaku.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, his representatives opted to turn down that offer of an extension in the hope of potentially getting better wages with the Blues or indeed elsewhere, with the likes of Bayern Munich and Juventus said to be heavily interested.
The report suggests that Rudiger could rake in more than £400,000-a-week should he opt to join of one Europe’s top sides when his contract expires in June, with the player able to sign a pre-contract agreement with any foreign sides as early as January 1st.
