Antonio Rudiger makes one key demand to stay at Chelsea: Reports
Antonio Rudiger revealed in an interview with The Athletic that he is happy at Chelsea and has reportedly made one demand to stay at the club.
Antonio Rudiger has become one of the best centre-backs in the world under Thomas Tuchel. He has scored thrice in 27 appearances across competitions this season.
The 28-year old will be out of contract in the summer which has resulted in other European clubs taking interest in the future of the defender. The likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG and Real Madrid want to snap him up on a free transfer.
Rudiger reportedly makes around £90,000-a-week which ranks him in the lower end of earners amongst the club's senior players. The German said the following in the interview and has reportedly made a demand related to his wage:
"I feel great here, I have always said it. But there are also other people who have to make decisions. I think the way I play you can see that I’m happy here. Of course I want to win the Premier League. Does it keep getting better and better for me at Chelsea? Yes.”
Rudiger added:
“We had never won this trophy [Club World Cup] in the club's history before. I’m very delighted that we didn’t give up, that we did our thing. We tried everything and won."
The “decisions” in question are expected to be about Rudiger’s wages. The centre-back has reportedly demanded around £225,000-a-week and will stay at the club if his demand is met.
Antonio Rudiger expected to stay at Chelsea amidst interest from multiple clubs
At the age of 28, Antonio Rudiger’s next contract is arguably the most important one of his career. The German centre-back obviously wants to spend the best years of his career winning trophies, something he can easily do at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are the defending UCL champions and have an EFL Cup final to play against Liverpool on Sunday. Antonio Rudiger is yet to win the Premier League with the Blues and will be reluctant to leave without a league title. Chelsea are still alive in the FA Cup and have a fifth round tie against Luton Town at the beginning of March.
Of course, the 2017-18 FA Cup was the first title that Antonio Rudiger won as a Blues player. Chelsea have all but dropped out of the title race this season with Manchester City extending their lead to 16 points. The Blues still have a chance of winning three trophies and will be looking to find Premier League success next term.
Antonio Rudiger has a range of clubs interested in him, given his contract situation. However, the German is well-settled with Chelsea and looks set to sign an expansive contract in the coming days.