Inter Milan have reportedly entered the chase to sign Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger, who is also a target for rivals Juventus.
According to a report by Italian outlet TMW, Inter Milan have entered the race to sign Antonio Rudiger on a Bosman move in next summer’s transfer window but are set to face stiff competition from Juventus and Bayern Munich to secure the 28-year-old’s signature.
Antonio Rudiger is at the prime of his Chelsea career right now and has been an integral part of Thomas Tuchel’s side after being a bit-part player during Frank Lampard’s reign. Tuchel has completely transformed his role in the Blues backline by finding a system that suits the German international’s attributes. Such is his improvement that he is currently being regarded as one of the best Premier League defenders.
Rudiger has in total made 159 appearances for the Blues, scoring eight goals and providing three assists. However, tt has been heavily reported that the German international, whose contract at Stamford Bridge expires in less than a year, is finding it difficult to negotiate an extension owing to his increasing pay demands and has better offers from other suitors.
Rudiger is the only member of the Blues squad to have played every minute of Premier League football this season, which underlines why the club is desperate to keep him. Even Chelsea boss Tuchel himself came out to reveal his desire to keep the centre-back in his ranks after numerous impressive displays. But considering how the situation is developing, the Chelsea star is likely to leave at the end of the season.
This has alerted many top clubs from across Europe, including Bayern Munich, Real Madrid. And now, fresh claims emerging from Italy suggest that powerhouses Juventus and Inter Milan are also keen on the German defender.
Juventus already have three top defenders in Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Matthijs de Ligt, but they are all suffering patchy form at the moment. The Bionconeri have conceded 10 goals from 7 games, only one less than what they managed to score, despite having a predominantly defensive-minded coach in Massimiliano Allegri.
Moreover, with Bonucci and Chiellini reaching the back end of their careers and de Ligt linked with a move away from Turin, it would sensible for the Bianconeri to have readymade replacements beforehand. Adding a Champions League-winning defender of Rudiger’s pedigree and quality on a free would be a very attractive proposition for the Turin-based club to pass on.
However, there are doubts about whether Juventus could afford Rudiger’s massive salary, considering they offloaded Cristiano Ronaldo to reduce the wage bill and are struggling to extend Paulo Dybala’s deal.
As for Inter Milan, they are receiving lots of interest for Milan Skriniar, whom they might be open to selling to balance off their debt-ridden books. The Nerazzurri have recently shown their ability to replace their big stars with bargain acquisitions such as Edin Dzeko, Hakan Calhanoglu and Denzel Dumfries.
They might look to pull the same trick by signing Rudiger – who can very well slot into Simone Inzaghi’s back-three system in place at Inter. It will be interesting to see whether the German leaves the Blues on a free or ends up committing his future at Stamford Bridge.
