Real Madrid have announced that former Chelsea defender, Antonio Rudiger, has joined the club on a four-year deal that will see him at the Bernabeu until 2026.
Rudiger, refusing to renew his contract with the West London club, snubbed advances from other clubs such as PSG, Juventus, Manchester United and others to sign for the 14 times UEFA Champions League winners.
Consequently, the Spanish giants, who missed out on their prime target for the summer, Kylian Mbappe, noted that Rudiger will officially be unveiled on June 20.
However, the excited Rudiger having bade Chelsea a farewell to bring an end to a five-year spell at Stamford Bridge, signed a contract worth £340,000-a-week, it was gathered.
“I’m proud to announce that I’ll be joining Real Madrid. I’m super excited for all the challenges ahead and can’t wait to play my first games for this huge club,” Rudiger tweeted.
Meanwhile, Chelsea in a statement have extended their appreciation to Rudiger, who was an integral part of the squad during his five years spell.
The club added that in his 203 appearances for Thomas Tuchel’s side, the passionate 29-year-old German scored 12 goals.
“Chelsea Football Club thanks Toni for his contribution to our success over the last five years and wishes him well in his future career,” the statement read.
“He departs with 203 appearances and 12 goals to his name, in that time establishing himself as one of the most passionate characters to represent the club in recent memory,” it added.
Reportedly, Antonio Rudiger’s contract renewal talks with Chelsea were stalled by the sanctions meted on Roman Abramovich over Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
