Reports | Real Madrid planning four man clearout to free up funds to sign Antonio Rudiger

While Antonio Rudiger initially struggled at Chelsea after his move from AS Roma, things changed after Thomas Tuchel arrived. The German use of a three man backline has seen Rudiger thrive alongside Thiago Silva and Andreas Christensen with all three defenders making up for the other’s weakness. However, it saw Rudiger’s performances improve ten-fold with the defender now considered to be amongst the best in the world.

But with the German enter the 2021/22 season with only one year left on his contract, it saw many fans worried that he could potentially leave on a free-transfer. Yet while negotiations are ongoing with Chelsea, no agreement has been reached and Rudiger now has just over six months left on his deal. It has seen the German linked with a move away and AS has reported that Real Madrid are willing to go all out in order to sign the center-back.

The report has indicated that the club are prepared to sell Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, Isco and Marcelo in order to free up the funds and wage space to hand Rudiger the €12m-a-year wages he wants. All four players have struggled to impress under Carlo Ancelotti and are reportedly said to be keen on leaving the club. But reports have also indicated that Bayern Munich, Juventus and a few other European bigwigs are also looking to sign Rudiger as soon as they can which could complicate Real Madrid's move.