Chelsea ‘closer’ to Antonio Rüdiger contract extension — report

Chelsea’s attempts to convince Antonio Rüdiger to sign a big-money contract extension appear to be moving in the right direction, with a report from Goal yesterday claiming that we’re getting “closer” to meeting his demands and there is “some positivity” that an agreement can be found.

This report, like many others before it, puts the 28-year-old’s demands at a nice round £200k per week, and while the list of teams who could actually offer him that much (or more) has been steadily decreasing — Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have both dropped out — we seem to have upped our own offer from a reported £140k to something much closer to that number. The specter of PSG and now Manchester United, too, continue to loom over the situation, as Toni’s agents continue to test the free agent market.

Rüdiger, who’s now just a dozen shy of 200 appearances for the club, is having by far his best season for Chelsea, which is certainly helping his case. With Andreas Christensen and César Azpilicueta possibly both leaving at the end of the season, getting Toni to sign on the dotted line, and not having to replace him through the market or the Academy or Loan Army, would be a positive development indeed.