What’s the story?
Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Antonio Rüdiger from AS Roma according to The Guardian. The defender will cost €33 million initially with another €5 million depending on his performance.
AS Roma rejected Chelsea's first bid of €35 million for the right-back and were holding out for €45 million. However, when The Blues came in with a bid totalling €38 million, they decided to sell him.
The German defender will have his medical early next week according to Sky Sports journalist, Kaveh Solhekol. He will then complete the move and join the squad as they start their pre-season tour.
In case you didn’t know...
Chelsea have been trying to strengthen their squad for the 2017/18 season. Antonio Conte's main aim was to make the backline stronger.
The Premier League champions made bids for Juventus centre-back, Leonardo Bonucci and Southampton's Virgil Van Dijk as well. Both the bids were reportedly £60 million.
The heart of the matter
Rüdiger is playing in the Confederations Cup, in which Germany face Chile in the final on Sunday. He is primarily a central defender but can play at right-back.
He has agreed a deal worth around €4 million a season according to reports. He was signed on a permanent deal just last summer by Roma but was keen on working with Antonio Conte.
The signing of Rudiger is just the start of the spending spree at Stamford Bridge. The club have lined up as many as four more big money signings.
The Blues are also set to conclude deals for AS Monaco's Tiémoué Bakayoko and Juventus' left-back, Alex Sandro. The club are also in talks with Everton for Romelu Lukaku while a move to hijack United's bid for Alvaro Morata is also in the news.
What’s next?
Rudiger will head to London on Monday and have his medical at Chelsea. The defender will then go on to sign the contract and become a part of the club.
He might be given a couple of weeks off by the club as he was a part of Germany's Confederation Cup squad. Chelsea's pre-season starts in mid-July, and he is expected to be with the squad that time.
Author’s Take
Rudiger is a brilliant signing and someone who could surprise the league with his vision. His versatility to play anywhere in te backline would make him a tremendous asset to the team as he can cover up for anyone when they get injured.
