Chelsea start contract extension talks with Antonio Rüdiger — report

According to a report from Sky Sports, Chelsea have began talks with defender Antonio Rüdiger over a new long(er)-term contract.

The 27-year-old arrived at Chelsea in 2017, and he quickly became the best center back at the club. He’s been a regular in the starting lineup under all three of his managers, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri, and now Frank Lampard. The only times he’s missed any significant action was through injury, like at the start of this season.

That’s one of the reasons behind Chelsea’s push for a new contract, although apparently we’re looking to only add an extra year to his current deal’s 2022 expiration — with a clause for a further year after that, through 2024, by which time the Germany international will be 31.

Another reason is the reported interest from other teams. Sky claims that Rüdiger has “admirers” in Germany, with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich as two of the most prominent names. (Ed.note: it’s a standard negotiating move to list a few potential outside interests of course).

Rüdiger might not be the most stellar defender, but he is certainly the best we’ve got at the moment. Getting him to extend his tenure at Chelsea would surely prove beneficial for our future plans, especially if we were unable to bring in reinforcements in the next transfer window.