The Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid transfer saga stopped abruptly as it was heating up. Just when it seemed like Los Blancos were in the driver’s seat for the German international, ABC Deportes reported that Real were no longer in on Rudiger. And when other reporters based in Madrid chimed in, it seemed like it may have been the case that Los Merengues were never truly heavily involved in chasing Rudiger. Perhaps it truly was all just talk from his agent.
But where there is smoke, there is fire. That is the cliche I usually invoke in the transfer market, because when the reports are that heavy, there has to be something there. And in the case of Rudiger, the reports have not stopped, including those from reliable transfer insiders.
The latest information comes from Santi Aouna and Tom Monegier of Footmercato. They report that Real Madrid and PSG – the two teams seen as the leaders to sign Rudiger if he does indeed leave Chelsea as a free agent – have made contract offers to the center back.
PSG have offered more than Real, naturally. But what’s interesting is the difference and the total salary may both be lower than expected. That’s because Footmercato report that PSG have only offered seven million euros net, whereas Real have reportedly offered a salary somewhere in the neighborhood south of seven million.
Real Madrid appear to be Antonio Rudiger’s preferred destination
As expected, this figure is a lot less than the number Rudiger was hoping for. Or, at least, what the British media reported his demands were. But we know how fickle the media can be with transfer reporting, especially if they are being fed information from a club that deliberately wants to make a player look too demanding – maybe, cynically, to make the fans accept them leaving for free.
But I digress.
We know Rudiger wants to go to Real Madrid. It honestly seems like they are his dream club, though I am sure he would not say “no” to Bayern Munich. It’s just that Bayern often don’t pay up big salaries. Hence why Real ended up with two of their stars, Toni Kroos and most recently David Alaba.
He surely wouldn’t say “no” to PSG, either, if it came down to it. But if the difference in salary is that little between Los Blancos and the Ligue 1 giants, wouldn’t he, as Footmercato put it, be more inclined to follow his heart to the Bernabeu?
Let’s turn back the focus to Real, though. If it is true that he can be signed for around seven million euros in salary, this deal just might be worth it. That is not too burdensome and in the range for a world-class center back. And yes, Rudiger has been world-class over the past year for the Blues. How he translates to a back four is a question, but that might be overstated. Whether or not he is willing to accept a third center back role is another question, as is the issue of going younger at CB.
Real could use a third man. A salary of seven million euros is reasonable. Rudiger is in fantastic form and showing that his quality is not a fluke; he just needed the right manager and setting, having been moved around quite a bit during his career.
At this price, Real Madrid should reconsider their interest in Rudiger. That does not mean they should sign him. There are concerns here, as mentioned above. But if this is indeed his salary range, then money is no longer a concern. Previously, that seemed like the big issue here. If Rudiger is willing to be the third wheel (he would still play significant minutes, as we have seen historically at CB in Madrid) and the club is sold on his quality, then they should keep pushing to sign him if they are still in the race. The price appears to be right.