Chelsea’s reliable defender Antonio Rudiger has been one of the best players for the Blues in the past year or so – and certainly since the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as manager. But he might be out the door as early as January because his contract is due to expire in less than a year – and he hasn’t agreed to sign a new one.The Sierra Leone lad, who beat poverty to become one of the best defenders in the world, is so far reluctant to sign a new deal – as rumours of a potential move to Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid continue to circle.Born in a refugee camp, fell in love with life But the 28-year-old is now in the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge, with talks ongoing over an extension. German website Sport1 reports that the player’s brother and agent, Sahr Senesie, has been negotiating a new contract with Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia, but that it wasn’t going to be easy because Rudiger wants a significant wage rise. His current $138,000 per week salary does not even put him in the top 10 highest earners at the club – with the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Christian Pulisic and Ben Chilwell all on bigger contracts. Thursday, 19.45: (3.60) Galatasaray (3.50) Lazio (2.15)However, the sports outlet has claimed that Rudiger wants to take time and could explore other options. Spanish newspaper La Colina De Nervion reports that Granovskaia is fed up waiting for the former Roma centre-back to commit his future to the Blues. Instead, she wants to get cash in on the Germany international before his contract runs out and he becomes a free agent.But the sale of Rudiger would be against the wishes of Tuchel, who has consistently hailed the “amazing” performances of the centre-back. The latest development only goes to confirm that the financial side of football is often the most important when it comes to transfer dealings of the elite clubs. It’s not that important that the coach likes him when there is a possibility of the club losing money. Unfortunately for Tuchel – that’s how it works.Congratulations to Marina GranovskaiaIncredible job she’s doing Director of football at Chelsea.Thomas Tuchel appointment was a master stroke #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/9IP0fLEWcp— Edwin Wafula (@EdwinWa17513467) May 29, 2021 Granovskaia has already got a replacement in line. Sevilla defender Jules Kounde has been a transfer target for a while without making the move. Rudiger’s departure is likely to be the cue for the Frenchman to join the Champions League holders.
