Real Madrid News
Chelsea superstar rejected better offers from Bayern and PSG to sign for Real Madrid
Having pulled off a masterstroke with the Bosman signing of David Alaba last summer, Real Madrid are set to repeat the trick again in the upcoming window.
Indeed, Real Madrid have an agreement in place to sign Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer when his contract with the Blues runs out at the end of next month.
The German international has easily been one of the best defenders across Europe over the past year and a half. He played a key role in Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League triumph last term and helped them to the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup titles this season.
The Premier League giants were trying hard to tie the ex-AS Roma centre-back down to a new contract. However, the sanctions imposed on the club by the UK Government meant they could not negotiate a new deal with Rudiger, who in turn reached an agreement with Real Madrid.
The Merengues were not the only club interested in Rudiger. The 29-year-old had a plethora of teams chasing his signing ahead of next season.
Indeed, Diario AS reports that both Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich presented the centre-half with much better offers than Real Madrid.
The report adds that Bayern Munich, in particular, tried to ‘torpedo’ Real Madrid’s operation late on, following their elimination from the UEFA Champions League at the hands of La Liga side Villarreal.
However, Rudiger snubbed the proposals from the French and the German title-winners in order to join the newly-crowned La Liga champions instead.
The report states that the Chelsea superstar will be signing a contract worth €6.8 million per year with Real Madrid that will run until the summer of 2026.
An elite defender with plenty of experience at the highest level, Rudiger has the potential to be an excellent signing for Carlo Ancelotti & co.
The cloud of uncertainty over Karim Benzema’s future has served as a major headache for the Real Madrid board, as they kickstart their team planning ahead of the new season.
Recent reports claim the Frenchman is strongly considering a move to Saudi Arabia, after receiving a lucrative €150 million offer from Al Ittihad. He was close to renewing his contract at Santiago Bernabeu not too long ago, but it appears the tables have turned lately.
Nevertheless, Real Madrid are yet to give up on Benzema and still harbour hopes of renewing his contract in the coming weeks, reports Alfredo Matilla.
The Spanish journalist suggests Real Madrid have not closed the file on Benzema. Coach Carlo Ancelotti has recently met the forward to clarify his future and it appears the club are set to do everything they can to keep hold of the player.
Benzema’s departure, after all, could put the club in a major dilemma, where they must either sign a top-class striker or settle for a low-cost alternative for the entirety of next season.
Harry Kane has been earmarked as the ideal replacement for Benzema. But his acquisition could potentially jeopardise Real Madrid’s bid to sign either Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe in 2024. The club have also faced difficulties negotiating with Daniel Levy, the Spurs chairman.
As far as the low-cost options are concerned, Real Madrid are interested in Roberto Firmino, who will become a free agent in the summer.
However, the Brazilian international is not the most productive striker around and his struggles in front of goal could put more pressure on players like Vinicius Junior next season.
Real Madrid, therefore, will hope to keep hold of Benzema’s services for another year. Unfortunately, though, the player has given a cold response so far and left training early, without speaking too much.
So it will be interesting to see whether or not the veteran striker opts to remain at Bernabeu for another year.
