Antonio Rudiger is of interest to Manchester United, but they will face stiff competition for the German defender this summer.
Rudiger’s contract expires at the end of the season and given Chelsea’s current predicament, it’s highly unlikely that Rudiger will sign an extension.
This was even the case long before Roman Abramovich was forced to sell the club, only for the UK government to impose sanctions on the Blues' Russian owner.
Rudiger’s wage demands are said to be extremely high, with it being reported that the player knows he could receive an offer from either Real Madrid or PSG worth around £400,000-per-week.
Chelsea reportedly offered Rudiger an extension last summer that was promptly rejected by the 29-year-old, who felt he was worth a lot more.
With his departure from the increasingly rudderless Blues looking even likelier now, United, along with Real Madrid, PSG and Juventus, are keen on signing Rudiger as a free agent this summer. MEN Sport have previously reported on the club's interest in the player.
United would not be expected to offer the same level of wages that PSG and Madrid would inevitably put on the table but they do have an ace up their sleeve in Ralf Rangnick.
According to Spanish outlet Marca, Rangnick is on very good terms with Rudiger’s agent and this could be key in United getting a march on their competition for Rudiger.
Would Rudiger be a worthy investment for United, however, given his age?
Despite edging closer to the 30-mark, Rudiger would be an instant upgrade on what United have defensively at present. Harry Maguire has struggled all season with the responsibility of being in charge of the United backline. Rudiger could take over this role and allow Maguire to revert to just being a defender and not having to worry about being the figurehead for the entire United rearguard.
There aren't many in the United squad, let alone defence, that have won anything at the highest level. Rudiger has that experience, having won a plethora of trophies at Stamford Bridge and could put it to good use. Moreover, Rudiger has hardly missed a game for Chelsea this season, playing in 39 games and accumulating nearly 4,000 minutes of football.
On a tactical level, Rudiger is faster than any of United’s centre-back options (with the possible exception of the injury-prone Eric Bailly) and this would allow next season’s manager to implement a higher line that simply isn’t possible with Maguire leading the defence.
Rudiger is also tactically flexible and is comfortable playing in a back two or three, which would give the incoming United boss the option to operate with a four or three-man defence and, in the process, make United a little more unpredictable.
If United could get Rudiger to lower his wage demands, then signing him on a free transfer would be a shrewd and brilliant move by United’s board, not something that’s been said often over the last decade.
He could be the defender that United so badly need.
