Rudiger’s Barcelona wage demands – and why it spells bad news for Chelsea & Madrid

FT Desk

5 Apr 2022 11:55 BST
3 min read

Antonio Rudiger is demanding a salary worth €7 million a year – plus a hefty signing-on fee – in order to join Barcelona.

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That is according to the Daily Mirror, who say that Rudiger is asking for only €15,000 more per week from Barcelona than he currently receives from Chelsea.

Rudiger currently earns €100,000 per week at Stamford Bridge and had reportedly been asking for double that amount in order to sign a new deal.

His current contract at Chelsea expires at the end of the season and, following the political crisis that engulfed Roman Abramovich, it is now looking increasingly likely that Rudiger will depart on a Bosman contract.

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A host of Europe’s biggest clubs are interested in signing him on a free transfer. Juventus, Real Madrid and PSG are all understood to have held talks with Rudiger’s entourage. Man Utd are also watching developments.

But the Mirror reports that none of these clubs have provided a satisfactory offer for the Germany defender so far.

Last week, Rudiger’s agent met with Barcelona officials as the Blaugrana threw their hat into the ring for the centre back. They spent three hours discussing a deal in Barcelona.

And despite Barcelona’s well-documented financial crisis which sees them over €1 billion in debt, Rudiger’s wage demands will not be a problem for the Catalans.

© ProShots - Rudiger looks likely to leave Chelsea this summer

Barcelona are planning to revolutionise their defence this summer. They already have a deal in place to sign Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen on a Bosman contract and are also looking at various full-backs around Europe.

Rudiger now represents another potential bargain signing for the Blaugrana, who have also booked in AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie on a Bosman for next season.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are unable to present a new offer to Rudiger because their transfer activity has been halted by the sanctions enforced on the club by the UK government.

And Rudiger himself likes the idea of joining a Barcelona team that has been reborn under Xavi in 2022 and are arguably the most in-form side in Europe.

Rudiger joined Chelsea in 2017 from Roma and has developed into one of the best defenders in Europe over the past 18 months under manager Thomas Tuchel.