Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has been a key figure in defence this season but he might not sign a new deal with the club.
The centre-back has become an important figure in Chelsea’s backline since Thomas Tuchel took over but his current deal expires next summer which is why Liverpool are thinking of signing him as a free agent.
Yes, Eurosport are claiming that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is giving serious thoughts to signing the 28-year-old since he wouldn’t cost a penny.
Will Chelsea offer Rudiger a new contract?
Antonio Rudiger was on the verge of leaving when Frank Lampard was in charge at Chelsea but the defender has managed to turn things around in the past one and a half years.
He’s played almost every game in the Premier League and this season, he’s started eight league games already and has also chipped in with a goal.
Thomas Tuchel will love to hold onto the 28-year-old beyond the summer but the club and the player just cannot agree to the terms of a new deal. And if things cannot be
View this post on Instagram
sorted soon enough then the manager will start making future plans without him.
Antonio Rudiger will also not be too worried about leaving since he’s upped his market value with his solid performance and if Liverpool are seriously interested then the German can afford to play hardball with the Blues.
Do Liverpool need Antonio Rudiger?
Liverpool signed Ibrahima Konate during the summer but he’s yet to settle down in England. But apart from him, Klopp has several other centre-backs too.
The manager is currently using Van Dijk and Joel Matip as his first-choice pairing plus he also has Joe Gomez as a backup. And unless he’s planning to sell a few of them in the summer, we can’t see where Rudiger will fit in.
The German will obviously demand regular game time if he chooses a move to Anfield meaning Klopp will have to sacrifice Joel Matip from the first XI.
Signing someone like Antonio Rudiger as a free agent makes sense but unless he perfectly fits into Klopp’s plans, it will be a waste to further inflate the wage bills.
If Liverpool are serious about signing the Chelsea defender then Klopp has to get rid of a bunch of defenders and make space for the 28-year-old.
