'A good chance that he stays' - Thomas Tuchel hopeful on Antonio Rudiger deal despite reports of Barcelona talks

Thomas Tuchel remains confident Chelsea can sort out a deal for Antonio Rudiger once the sale of the club goes through. Chelsea are unable to offer new deals to players on account of the limited licence they are playing under on account of the sanctions on owner Roman Abramovih. Ad/> The Blues are up for sale and there is hope that a new owner can be in place before the end of the season.

FootballHazard set to miss Chelsea return in Champions League after undergoing surgery29/03/2022 AT 21:21 That would allow Chelsea to sort out issues with player contracts, as the likes of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are in the final months of their contracts. Both have been linked with Barcelona, and it was reported this week that Rudiger’s agent had held talks with officials from the Camp Nou club. The development is not a surprise to Tuchel, but the German remains confident the Blues can keep hold of their defender.

Rangnick praises 'very valuable' Maguire Southgate: England need to be close to perfect to win World Cup “I would try to meet him if I was any other club,” Tuchel said. “But still he’s our player and I still think we have a good chance that he stays our player once things are solved for us. “The situation is the situation at the moment and our hands are tied.

We cannot speak to him, we cannot offer him, we cannot negotiate with him and his agent, so fair enough if it’s true he listens to other offers. That’s the way things go but I’m still confident.” While Chelsea cannot negotiate new deals, contracts can be honoured and a clause was triggered in Cesar Azpilicueta’s to extend his stay at the club — much to Tuchel’s delight. “It’s a good thing,” Tuchel said.