£400k a week!
Rudiger will be highest-paid defender in world if he leaves Chelsea in the summer
ANTONIO Rudiger is on course to become the best paid defender in Europe — with top clubs willing to quadruple his wages to prise him out of Chelsea next summer.
Rudiger has emerged as a key man under Thomas Tuchel, but his future at Stamford Bridge is uncertain as he enters the final six months of his contract and it is looking increasingly likely that the Germany defender will leave on a free transfer next summer.
Europe’s top clubs are queueing up to make lucrative offers to Rudiger from January, with Real Madrid, Paris SaintGermain, Bayern Munich and Juventus in the mix.
If Rudiger leaves the Premier League in 2022, he will become one of the best paid defenders in football history. The 28-year-old currently earns around £100,000 a week at Chelsea, but he is in line for a stratospheric upgrade on that next season.
Juventus centre back Matthijs de Ligt is reportedly the best paid defender in the world, earning in the region of £400,000 a week including add-ons. But Sportsmail understands that Rudiger’s next deal, if he leaves Chelsea, will eclipse the Holland international’s.
The fact Rudiger is available on a free transfer means interested clubs will use the money saved on a fee, with the German valued at £70million in the current market, to bolster the value of the player’s salary package in terms of basic wage, signing-on fee and other lucrative add-ons.
The issue of Rudiger’s future will become much clearer in the coming weeks, with the central defender allowed to speak to overseas clubs from January.
Chelsea could yet decide to make Rudiger an improved offer, but it seems unlikely the European champions will match what is being offered from clubs abroad.
The Blues have offered Rudiger a new deal worth in the region of £140,000 a week but no agreement over an extension has been reached.
Despite the uncertainty over his future, Rudiger, who is settled in London, remains fully focused on Chelsea’s season and continues to have a good relationship with Tuchel.
But the possibility of the German leaving west London club is emerging as a very real possibility in news that will arrive as a blow to Tuchel, who still views Rudiger as an integral member of his plans at Stamford Bridge.