Chelsea players are reportedly ‘gutted’ Antonio Rudiger is leaving the club and this could mean important stars such as N’Golo Kante and Jorginho follow him out of Stamford Bridge.
Rudiger will sign for Real Madrid once his Chelsea contract expires on June 30. As per Fabrizio Romano, he will pen a four-year deal with the Spanish giants.
Chelsea officials claim they were unable to engage in contract renewal talks with the centre-back following UK government sanctions on owner Roman Abramovich.
But according to The Sun, senior Blues players think Rudiger’s new terms should have been resolved long before these sanctions.
Chelsea knew he was heading towards free agency but took too long to enter negotiations with his agent. As such, he was able to finalise a pre-contract agreement with Los Blancos.
The Sun reveal Rudiger’s current team-mates are ‘gutted’ by the exit. Especially because he is such an integral part of the dressing room.
Fears are now ‘growing’ that other Chelsea stars could hand in transfer requests ahead of the summer.
Kante, who has made 39 appearances so far this season, is one of those who may move on.
N’Golo Kante a target for Paris Saint-Germain
He has been a loyal servant to the club since joining from Leicester in 2016. However, the Frenchman might not want to stick around if Chelsea decline over the next few years.
French outlet Le Parisien claim Paris Saint-Germain came forward with a ‘proposal’ to sign Kante in January. He rejected it out of hand, although this offer could become more enticing as the months go on.
Fellow midfielder Jorginho is a target for Juventus and The Sun reckon he will likely leave west London in the summer.
Jorginho’s agent, Joao Santos, regularly speaks about the Italy international returning to Serie A. And it seems the chances of this happening are rising as the year goes on.
The report suggests other Chelsea players are considering their futures as well, although they remain unnamed.
Of course, Barcelona are targeting defensive duo Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta. Tuchel will be given a major headache if these players leave.
A transfer to PSG for Kante would make sense as it would take the 31-year-old back to his place of birth – Paris. Plus, PSG have struggled with their work rate in recent years, and Kante would help to solve this issue.
Jorginho, meanwhile, clearly wants to return to Italy at some point in his career. This might be the perfect time for him to do just that.
Elsewhere, reports in Italy state Napoli are back in for Armando Broja. He is a potential replacement for Newcastle target Victor Osimhen at the Diego Maradona Stadium.
