Antonio Rudiger rejected a £230,000-a-week offer from Chelsea before the club's owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government.
The centre-back, 29, is out of contract at the end of the season and is all but certain to leave Stamford Bridge due to Abramovich's assets being frozen. The Blues are currently operating under a special license and are unable to sign and sell players.
Chelsea chiefs were in talks with the Germany international up until the sanctions were imposed on Abramovich, with supporters remaining hopeful he would stay. He was offered a £230,000-a-week deal, which would've made him the club's best paid defender.
Rudiger received the contract offer - Chelsea's third bid - well before the sanctions were imposed on Abramovich. The signing-on fee and agent fee demands were huge, yet the Blues were still willing to get the deal done and kept plugging away, but to no avail as he is now poised to leave the club.
Real Madrid are the favourites to sign Rudiger and his next move is expected to be announced soon. Fellow centre-back Andreas Christensen is also set to leave Stamford Bridge when his contract expires in June. Barcelona are leading the race for his signature.
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Rudiger is currently earning around £100,000-a-week after a signing a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge on his arrival from Roma in the summer of 2017.
He has been one of Chelsea's most important players since Thomas Tuchel was appointed manager in January 2021, helping them win the Champions League last season. He's played 47 games in all competitions this term.
There is still a glimmer of hope Rudiger could stay at Chelsea if the club is sold before he signs for a rival team. He is allowed to negotiate with clubs based outside of England - such as Real - but cannot open talks with another Premier League side until July.
The Blues are expected to be under new ownership by the summer, as their special license is severely limiting their revenue streams. US merchant bank The Raine Group are administrating the sale on Chelsea and expected to announce a preferred bidder shortly.
There are three consortiums left in the running: former Liverpool chairman Sir Martin Broughton's - which involves Sir Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams - LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly's and Atalanta co-owner Steve Pagliuca's.
The preferred bidder will need government approval due to the sanctions imposed on Abramovich, although they are not expected to stand in the way of any of the consortiums. They will also need to pass the Premier League's owners' and directors' test.
Chelsea's new owners will need to invest heavily this summer if they lose Rudiger and Christensen. Rudiger will not wait to see what happens with the sale of the club, further limiting his chances of staying in London.
