Chelsea are on the verge of completing the £36 million signing of Antonio Rudiger from Serie A’s Roma, as the defender has arrived in London for his medical.
The deal for the big German defender will see Chelsea pay £31m upfront with £5m to be paid in add-ons. The 24-year-old is expected to be John Terry’s permanent replacement in the Chelsea defence.
Rudiger arrives as a cheap alternative to Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk, and with his performances for Germany and Roma, also appears to be a player more adapted to the big stage of West London. Chelsea had also been linked to Juventus’ Leonardo Bonucci, but Rudiger offers a younger option for the Blues.
Rudiger is the third key player Roma have now sold this summer following on the heels of Mohamed Salah’s move to Liverpool and Leandro Paredes £23m move to Zenit St. Petersburg. The latter had also been on the radar of several Premier League teams.
Chelsea are still after Monaco’s Tiemoue Bakayoko amongst other transfer targets. However, in the case of Bakayoko, the team have been slowed in negotiations for the player’s transfer.
Antonio Rudiger 2016-17 key stats:
- 26 Serie A appearances, 25 of them starts
- 7 yellow cards in 26 Serie A matches
- 1.7 tackles per Serie A match
- 1 interception per Serie A match