Antonio Rudiger is yet to reach an agreement with Chelsea regarding a contract extension and only has one year remaining on his current deal with the club. There are several rumours indicating that he could follow Eden Hazard to the Santiago Bernabeu once his obligations to Chelsea are over.
Madrid are still recovering from the financial effects of the pandemic, and the free signing of Rudiger makes perfect sense for the team. Not only do they need to replace Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, but they also need experience in the backline.
Currently, Nacho, Eder Militao, Jesus Vallejo and David Alaba are the available centre-backs for Carlo Ancelotti. And given that Alaba is primarily a left-back that has been converted into a centre-back, a more natural defender could be beneficial for the team.
Rudiger has found his best form under Thomas Tuchel and has done a remarkable job of holding down the left-hand side of Chelsea’s back three. His rock-solid defensive contributions helped Chelsea lift the Champions League title last year after starting out the season nowhere in discussion for the title. He was also responsible for helping Chelsea keep the most number of clean sheets in the campaign last season.
At 28, Rudiger is in his prime years as a footballer and can easily walk into any lineup given the form he has been showing. He could be a vital improvement that Carlo Ancelotti needs over his current defenders, and could spend another five years competing at the top level given his age.
