Chelsea star ‘committed’ to the CL winners amid contract doubts
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger remains “committed” to the club even though his contract is due to expire in 2022, according to reports.
The 28-year-old joined Chelsea in 2017 after previously having spells with VfB Stuttgart and Roma. He moved to the Premier League from Roma for a fee of around £29m.
Rudiger was a mainstay during his first two seasons as he racked up 89 appearances across all competitions. He helped the Blues win the FA Cup and Europa League in that time.
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The defender fell out of favour under Frank Lampard, though. This led to him receiving interest from the likes of Tottenham and PSG.
Lampard was replaced by Thomas Tuchel in January. Rudiger has found himself back in the team under the German as the centre-back enjoyed a fine end to the season.
Rudiger started in the Champions League final as Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 in Porto.
The German international’s current contract with the Londoners expires at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
Sky Sports have reported that he is “keen” to sign a new long-term contract at Chelsea. They add that if a new offer does not come, he is “willing” to see out his contract before leaving for free next summer.
Earlier this month, Kai Havertz heaped praise on Rudiger and N’Golo Kante:
“When you see [Kante], you have to smile. He is a great personality and a great person.
“And a great football player. As an attacking player, I’m always happy when he is on the pitch. You can make a lot of mistakes because he always wins the ball back. He’s fast, agile and always gets his leg in.
“That’s why it’s not so nice to have to play against him in the first match of the European Championship, of course.”
“[Rudiger] has given us so much stability over the last few months.
“After Tuchel’s arrival, he played outstandingly. As a mentality player, he’s also important. On the pitch, he’s a warrior. A bit like Kante – you want him in your team.
“Playing against him in training isn’t as much fun either. The last few months have been top. It was very hard for him at first and now he’s fought his way out of it.”
