MX23RW : Thursday, October 31 23:39:42| >> :60:76:76:

Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger confirms rejected Barcelona move

Antonio Rudiger confirms rejected Barcelona move
© Reuters
Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger confirms that he turned down an approach from Barcelona to sign for Los Blancos on a free transfer from Chelsea.

Real Madrid centre-back Antonio Rudiger has confirmed that he snubbed interest from Barcelona in order to make the move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Rudiger's five-year stint at Chelsea will officially come to an end on July 1, with the Germany international leaving on a free transfer upon the expiration of his contract.

Lengthy negotiations between Rudiger and Chelsea did not bear fruit, and the former Roma man is said to have turned down an offer which would have made him the Blues' highest-paid defender in history.

Interest in Rudiger was rife, but the 29-year-old ultimately elected to sign for Real Madrid and has penned a four-year deal with the La Liga and Champions League holders.

The likes of Manchester United, Juventus and Barcelona were credited with an interest in Rudiger, and the German has revealed that La Blaugrana had tabled an offer to him.

Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger pictured on November 23, 2021© Reuters

However, speaking at his official unveiling as a Real Madrid player, the defender insisted that he had his heart set on Los Blancos after holding talks with manager Carlo Ancelotti.

"The first time I got in contact, not really me, my agent, was early September. The second time, I spoke with Mr Ancelotti, was in April. That was the most important moment," Rudiger told the press.

"That was when I made my choice. I wanted to play for this club under him. There was interest from Barcelona but I told my brother, it's Real or nothing."

Rudiger leaves Chelsea having scored 12 goals and provided seven assists in 202 games for the West London club since his £31.5m move from Roma in 2017.

The ex-Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart product collected numerous trophies at Stamford Bridge, winning the Champions League, FA Cup, Club World Cup, Europa League and UEFA Super Cup with the Blues.

Chelsea's Andreas Christensen in action, October 20, 2021© Reuters

Rudiger is not the only member of Thomas Tuchel's backline to move on to pastures new this summer, as Andreas Christensen will also walk out of the door as a free agent this summer.

The Denmark international is thought to be Barcelona-bound, but there has been no official confirmation of his move to Camp Nou just yet.

Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta's futures are also being called into question amid links with Xavi's side, with the former in particular already confirming his desire to play in La Liga.

However, Tuchel is reportedly pushing to keep Azpilicueta on the books at Stamford Bridge, but the 32-year-old will soon enter the final 12 months of his contract.

Jules Kounde, Milan Skriniar and Kalidou Koulibaly are thought to be some of the top candidates to replace Rudiger and Christensen at Chelsea, although the latter apparently wants to end his career at Napoli.

ID:488454:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5214:

Click here for more stories about Antonio Rudiger

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Kalidou Koulibaly warms up for Napoli in April 2022
Read Next:
Chelsea-linked Koulibaly 'wants to end his career at Napoli'
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City97202091123
2Liverpool97111751222
3Arsenal95311710718
4Aston Villa95311611518
5Chelsea95221911817
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton94411612416
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest9441117416
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs94141810813
9Brentford94141818013
10Fulham93331212012
11Bournemouth93331111012
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle9333910-112
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham93241316-311
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd9324811-311
15Leicester CityLeicester92341317-49
16Everton92341016-69
17Crystal Palace9135611-56
18Ipswich TownIpswich9045920-114
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves90271225-132
20Southampton9018619-131


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!