Chelsea Transfer News: Blues eyeing CL winner reunion as club set price tag

Chelsea have been named as one of the clubs keeping tabs on a defender from a European giant, who happens to be one of their former players.

The Blues are enduring a tumultuous period following the recent sacking of Enzo Maresca, which came amid a sharp downturn in Premier League form, placing the west Londoners firmly out of title contention.

Liam Rosenior has since stepped in, with Chelsea winless in the two matches since the Italian’s exit ahead of the new manager’s debut against Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup.

It would be fair to say that Rosenior’s in-tray is pretty full at Stamford Bridge, but this being January, he may be busier than usual over the next few weeks.

And according to a recent report, Chelsea are mulling over a potential reunion with a Champions League-winning hero as his contract runs down on the continent.

According to Fichajes, Chelsea, along with Paris Saint-Germain and various Saudi Pro League clubs, have an interest in out-of-contract Real Madrid star Antonio Rudiger.

The German centre-back’s contract is soon up for renewal, and Real Madrid are in no hurry to secure an extension.

In fact, Los Blancos have set a figure of around €10m (£8.7m) on Rudiger’s head should they be lured into a deal.

Rudiger won the Europa League and Champions League during his time at Stamford Bridge, as well as the Club World Cup and FA Cup.

The ex-Blues centre-back notably started the 2021 Champions League final as Chelsea kept Manchester City at bay during an all-English face-off in Porto.

At Real Madrid, he went on to mirror that success, also winning a La Liga title in the 2023/24 season as Carlo Ancelotti’s side secured a league and Champions League double.

However, Chelsea are not the favourites for his signature as Saudi outfit Al-Nassr are believed to be ‘best positioned’ to take him from the Spanish giants, while he may yet sign a new deal at the Santiago Bernabeu if his performances in the remainder of the season are impressive enough.

There are concerns over Rudiger given his age and fitness concerns – the defender spent the last few months out with a hamstring injury before returning to the first team in late November.

Meanwhile, the price tag will not be difficult for Chelsea to match, and a mid-season departure would allow Real Madrid to fund a replacement, as opposed to him leaving in the summer for free. Therefore, it is easy to see how the defender’s future is now hanging in the balance.

But despite Chelsea not being in pole position for Rudiger, the fact they are keeping tabs on him points to a potential new direction under their new boss as the Blues chase their past glories.

Graduated in Sport Journalism (BA) with first-class honours from the University of Brighton and has since had bylines in The Times, sports business publication SportsPro, Football FanCast and The Gooner fanzine.