The future of Antonio Rudiger will surely be a major concern for Chelsea as the January transfer window approaches.


With no new contract on the horizon, the Germany international will approach the last six months of his contract at Stamford Bridge during the upcoming transfer window and will be free to talk with other teams.

As a result, Rudiger appears to have piqued the curiosity of a slew of other teams throughout Europe, and an extension at Chelsea is far from out of the question.

Chelsea

Perhaps the most logical choice for Rudiger to make is to simply stay put at Chelsea. At Stamford Bridge the defender is part of one of Europe’s strongest teams and works under a manager he clearly has plenty of time for.

However, before the Germany international can commit to a new deal, he may wish to seek out assurances that potential new signings like Jules Kounde and young prospects from the club’s academy won’t take his place soon after he’s committed to staying put.

Similarly, reports in Germany from Sport1 have suggested that the player was left disappointed by Chelsea’s first offer of a contract renewal and that continued talks with Marina Granovskaia are pencilled in before the end of the year to see if a solution can be found.

(2/2) The first contract offer was not acceptable for the players side. New talks with Marina Granovskaia will follow soon. A final decision about his future is expected until the end of this year. @TTuchelofficial wants him to extend. @SPORT1 #CFC

Real Madrid

One possible destination for Rudiger this summer is Real Madrid, who are keen on signing the defender at the end of the season, according to ABC.

The Spanish giants recently lost Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane in the summer and despite signing David Alaba, Madrid are still in desperate need of a new central defender to steady the ship.

 

Rudiger would be able to slot straight into Carlo Ancelotti’s team and would bring a wealth of experience and talent to the team that is sorely lacking at the moment.

Bayern Munich

However, the most likely move for Rudiger at the end of this season still remains a move to Bayern Munich.

Heavily linked with a return to Germany, Rudiger is likely tempted by the prospect of nailing down a starting role in Julian Nagelsmann’s side without the constant fear of being replaced, that surely lingers at Stamford Bridge.

Add to that the constant speculation of Niklas Sule’s future at Bayern and it seems as though the Bavarian giants may have a large Rudiger-side hole in their team that will need filling in the summer.

The player recently admitted that he was flattered by the apparent interest shown in him by the German champions and could end up taking them up on an offer in January.