Chelsea are reportedly set to reignite their interest in Roma’s German defender Antonio Rudiger, but face competition from PSG.
Italian publication Sports Mediaset have claimed that Chelsea are set to reignite interest in German international Antonio Rudiger in the upcoming transfer window in January. The Blues want to add defensive options to their squad and see the AS Roma defender as an ideal fit to the club’s current squad and tactics
Antonio Rudiger joined Roma only last season from Bundesliga club Schalke and has slowly grown into a key player in the current setup at the Italian club. The 23-year-old went on to make 30 Serie A appearances last season. while also adding two goals to the club’s league tally.
Rudiger suffered damage to his knee ligaments which prevented him from being a part of Germany’s squad for the European Championships in the summer of 2016, the 23-year-old has been recovering ever since.
There are doubts as to how long Rudiger will take to complete his recovery and start gaining match-time at the club and how long it would take for the 23-year-old to regain his form. However, this has reportedly had no effect on Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, who is interested in adding a defender to the squad.
Rudiger was linked with a number of clubs in the summer and at one point, was rumoured to be on the brink of a move to Chelsea with the Blues reported to be in talks with the player’s agent. But, a move failed to take shape with the injury thought to be a major reason behind the failure of transfer talks.
The Italian manager does have numbers at the centre of the defence, but considering the age of the options available to him, they are considered to be more short-term than not. The hierarchy at Chelsea and Conte eye Rudiger as a long-term replacement for the club.
Chelsea, though, are set to face competition from Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, who are also rumoured to have reignited their interest in the 23-year-old as they are looking to add to their defence after the departure of David Luiz to the Blues on deadline day.
The report added that a bid of around €30m should be enough for Roma to convince the club to open negotiations regarding the transfer of Rudiger, a figure both Chelsea and PSG would happily splash, in return for a long-term defensive addition to their roster.
Chelsea have failed to show even a fraction of defensive solidity that Conte’s teams are famous for, and the Italian is seeking players that can adapt well to his regime. Rudiger could just prove to be the man to provide some much-needed steel and consistency to the defence at Stamford Bridge.
