Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti joked that he did not know who Antonio Rudiger was as the Chelsea defender closes in on a switch to the Santiago Bernabeu.
The German is out of contract at the end of the season, with UK Government sanctions preventing the Blues from negotiating an extended stay at west London.
There was fleeting hope that despite the looming threat of an exit, Chelsea would be able to tie down the former AS Roma man to a new deal. That does now not appear to be the case, with Rudiger choosing to wave goodbye to the club after five years - boss Thomas Tuchel confirming that decision.
