Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger is close to agreeing on a four-year contract with Spanish giants Real Madrid. The deal is set to make the German one of the highest-paid defenders in world football. Thomas Tuchel revealed earlier in the week that Rudiger had decided to reject a new deal and leave the club at the end of the season. Real Madrid was the first team to express interest in the services of the center-back.
“The situation is that he wants to leave the club. He informed me of this in a private talk. We gave everything – me and the club – but we could not fight anymore because of the actions. Without the sanctions, we would at least be able to carry on fighting, but our hands are tied. We don’t take it personally. It is his decision,” Thomas Tuchel said after Antonio Rudiger decided to join Real Madrid. “He is a key figure and will stay that way until the end of the season. But it is disappointing. We will miss him a lot. He gives courage in the dressing room. The kind everyone is afraid of, but the kind to play 50-55 games at an outstanding level. He is a top defender for the last one-and-a-half years for me. We then need to find another solution.”
“In the moment not, because of the sanctions. Hopefully, the sanctions will be the past,” he added. “We had a connection from day one and he deserves my full support. I’m just happy to have had the chance to coach him on the team and the club did as well. We had offers, big offers and the club tried everything but we cannot fight anymore. We have the sanctions, we can’t continue. It is what it is.”
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