Antonio Rudiger is reportedly ‘unlikely’ to join Spanish giants Barcelona when his contract expires in June. The Chelsea star cannot be offered a new deal by his current club due to the sanctions imposed upon the west London outfit and has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge.
Rudiger has been a key player in the success the Blues have enjoyed under Thomas Tuchel’s management, and his departure would leave a huge hole in their backline. His future remains the subject of much speculation due to the fact that Chelsea cannot offer players new contracts under the special license that they’re currently operating under.
The club face a similar situation with Andreas Christensen whose deal also expires in the summer. However, Rudiger could wind up staying at Chelsea if they’re bought from Roman Abramovich which would allow the club to operate as it did before the sanctions were imposed.
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And according to Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano, the 29-year-old hasn’t received an offer to move to Barca and despite a meeting between the Catalans and his representatives a move to the La Liga side appears unlikely. Romano also stated that this was due to the fact that Christensen will seal a move to the Nou Camp in the summer.
He tweeted: “Barcelona have not made an official bid for Toni Rudiger, just direct contacts with his agents - it's now considered unlikely as Christensen will sign for Barca and [Ronald] Araújo will extend his contract, 100%.”
Reports surfaced last week that Rudiger’s representatives had met with Xavi Hernandez’s side, but the speculation wasn’t of concern to Tuchel who admitted that he would be trying to sign the German international if he was in another manager’s shoes.
“I would try to meet him if he was not our player. He told reporters. “We still have a contract and have a good chance [to renew] when the ownership issue is sorted. It is fair enough if he listens to others but I am still confident.”
