Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has now penned a bumper pre-contract agreement with Real Madrid to bring his five-year stint at Stamford Bridge to an end, according to a new report.
Rudiger was expected to quit the club in the summer after the Blues failed to meet the contract rebel's lavish salary demands. The 29-year-old has evolved into a key performer since Thomas Tuchel took charge at the club back at the start of 2021 - but the Londoners were unable to thrash out an agreement to keep him.
The German international has been tracked by a host of top European clubs, but Real had emerged in recent weeks as Rudiger's most likely destination. And a new report from The Athletic has revealed that Rudiger has now put pen-to-paper on a lucrative four-year contract to make his switch to the Bernabeu official.
As well as banking a sign-on fee, Rudiger is expected to earn between €9-10million (£7.7-8.5m) per year after tax - a sum that is significantly more than the package that Chelsea had put together in a bid to persuade him to stay at the club.
Rudiger has already completed his medical and the final touches are now being put together on his lucrative free switch. It's believed that his new contract - which will run until the summer of 2026 - will include a remarkable €400m (£342.3m) release clause.
Despite the long-term uncertainty that surrounded Rudiger, Tuchel was desperate to keep his defensive lynchpin at the club. Rudiger has been the Blues' best defender over the past 12 months and has racked up 50 appearances this term alone. But Tuchel admitted defeat in his bid to hang onto the defender last month, citing the sanctions that have been placed on the club as a key factor in Rudiger's departure.
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Speaking after Chelsea's last-gasp win over West Ham, Tuchel revealed: "Toni, the media is on it - he situation is that he wants to leave the club. He informed me of this is in a private talk. We gave everything - me and the club - but we could not fight anymore because of the actions.
"Without the sanctions we would at least be able to carry on fighting, but out hands are tied. We don't take it personally. It is his decision... he is a key figure and will stay that way until the end of the season. But it is disappointing.
"We will miss him a lot. He gives courage in the dressing room. The kind everyone is afraid of, but the kind to play 50-55 games at an outstanding level. He is a top defender in the last one and a half years for me. We then need to find another solution."
