Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr ready to offer massive €100 million contract to sign 31-year-old Real Madrid star: Reports
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr are ready to offer an enormous €100 million contract to sign Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger, according to reports from Spanish news channel El Chiringuito TV. The Knights of Najd are believed to be offering him such a lucrative four-year contract to woo him away from the Santiago Bernabeu in the upcoming transfer window.
The reported valuation of the contract would almost quadruple the wage that he is currently earning with Los Blancos, showcasing Al-Nassr's commitment to build a competent squad around Ronaldo.
Rudiger joined Carlo Ancelotti's side on a free transfer from Premier League side Chelsea in July 2022. Despite a few early setbacks, he worked his way into becoming an undisputed starter for the Spanish giants and is arguably one of the best centre-backs at present.
The German has made 101 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions. He has played an important role in his side winning a La Liga title, a Champions League, a Copa del Rey and a FIFA Club World Cup, among other trophies.
Rudiger's current contract runs until the end of the 2025-2026 campaign, with a gigantic reported release clause worth nearly €400 million. At 31, he is faced with the difficult choice of taking the financial boost and joining Ronaldo at Al-Nassr or potentially competing for UCL titles with Real.
With the arrival of Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Real Madrid have strengthened an already world-class squad that lifted the UCL title earlier this month. They will once again be favorites in every single tournament in the 2024-25 season, which could give Rudiger added motivation to stay at the club.
"We can learn" - Antonio Rudiger reveals a quality of Real Madrid that the German national team can inculcate
Real Madrid and Germany defender Antonio Rudiger has claimed that his national side lacks the killer instinct that his club is famously known for. He said that Die Mannschaft needed to inculcate that quality in order to grind out results and be considered a genuine title challenger at EURO 2024.
Even under pressure, Real Madrid have showcased the ability to wriggle out of tough situations over the past few years under Carlo Ancelotti. Rudiger believed that this quality needs to be imbibed by Julian Nagelsmann's side, who have had a series of disappointing international tournaments.
At a press conference on Wednesday, June 5, after their 0-0 draw against Ukraine in a friendly, Rudiger said (via 90Min):
"We can adapt that killer instinct. I haven't seen such a good 0-0 in a while. We missed some goals, but we can learn a lot from Madrid. We must be humble. We all know what has happened in the last tournaments."
Germany and Rudiger will next be in action against Scotland in the opening game of Euro 2024 on June 14. They will be hoping to make a deep run in the tournament to have a shot at winning their first major title since their 2014 FIFA World Cup triumph.