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Juventus Transfers: Reports of Antonio Rudiger agreeing to four-year contract

By James Cormack

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 02: Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on January 2, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 02: Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on January 2, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images) /
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Reports in Italy suggest that Chelsea defender and impending free agent Antonio Rudiger has agreed to join Juventus on a four-year deal.

Rudiger has attracted interest from across Europe for his signature after emerging as one of the continent’s finest defenders following the arrival of Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge in January 2021. Rudiger helped the Blues to Champions League glory last season, and his impressive form as part of Tuchel’s back three has continued into 2021/22.

However, Rudiger, whose contract at Chelsea expires in the summer, is poised to leave the club on a free transfer after failing to agree to terms with the European champions.

Antonio Rudiger has reportedly agreed to join Juventus on a four-year deal

Rudiger’s situation put plenty of Europe’s top clubs on notice and Juventus, along with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, were all linked with a move for the 29-year-old this summer.

But according to Gazzetta dello Sport, it’s the Bianconeri who’ve acted fastest and won the race. They report that Rudiger has said “yes” to the club and is ready to pen a four-year contract to return to Serie A where he’ll make €6.5m-a-year.

The Chelsea defender spent two years at AS Roma before catching the eye of then-Blues boss Antonio Conte, who brought him to west London in 2017.

The potential addition of Rudiger would be huge for Juventus, who desperately need to rejuvenate their defence in the summer with Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini both well into their twilight years. There’s hope that Germany international Rudiger will partner the superb Matthijs de Ligt at centre-back for the foreseeable future with January arrival Federico Gatti providing able cover.

Juve’s raid on Chelsea may not end with the free transfer of Rudiger, however. According to Marcello Chirico (via @AllJuveCast), Azzurri stars Emerson Palmieri and Jorginho are both targets of the Bianconeri’s this summer. Jorginho’s agent has already spoken about the club’s interest.

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