The latest free agent Real Madrid are almost guaranteed to sign

Real Madrid will sign perhaps the greatest free agent of all time in Kylian Mbappe next summer. It is unprecedented for the most valuable player in world football – someone worth over 200 million euros – to move for free, but that is the situation PSG created this past summer when they did not respond to an offer worth that exact figure, 200 million euros.

Mbappe is not the only free agent Los Blancos are looking at. Antonio Rudiger has become just as hot of a topic in rumors lately, as the Chelsea man looks increasingly unlikely to re-sign with Thomas Tuchel’s outfit despite being one of the best defenders over the past calendar year. A year, of course, that included a Champions League title triumph, in which the Blues knocked off Los Blancos in the semifinals before dispatching of Pep Guardiola’s side in the final.

According to the latest report from The Telegraph’s Matt Law, much like with Kylian Mbappe, even Real Madrid players are expecting Antonio Rudiger’s arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer 2022 transfer window.

There has been an awful lot of smoke around Rudiger to Madrid over the past month. Even with PSG looking to steal him away and the likes of Manchester United and Bayern Munich linked, Los Merengues have been the most heavily connected to the star center back.

Antonio Rudiger seems like a near-lock to join Real Madrid

Rudiger and Chelsea, per Law, remain at a financial impasse in negotiations. And we all know Real are perfectly willing to pay high salaries to free agents if they believe they are good enough to take the team to another level in their quest to return to being the most dominant side in all of Europe.

That is where, as Law relays, Bayern fall short. They did not keep David Alaba, who is blossoming in Madrid this season, last summer. Why would they go against their M.O. by giving Rudiger significantly more than what Chelsea is offering?

Rudiger looks like a near-lock to join Real Madrid. He seems keen on playing for the most prestigious club in the world, knowing they will meet his salary demands. PSG, for example, could exceed his salary demands in a revenge-fueled mission given the bad blood that has emerged between both clubs, but Rudiger may not be swayed by more money than the raise he is already looking for. Like so many free agents, the overall sporting project and organizational competence –of which PSG’s is in serious doubt – likely weigh more.

Ideally, it seems as if Rudiger wanted to stay with Chelsea, but because they have not respected how he sees his compensation and place in the club as a key contributor, he just might be the latest big-name, free-agent center back to join Los Blancos. At this point, it would be a shock if he landed anywhere else.