Chelsea 'dressing room know' £100k-a-week star will leave Stamford Bridge

Chelsea’s dressing room have been expecting Antonio Rudiger to be leaving Stamford Bridge for a long time, according to journalist Paul Brown.

Currently reported to be on around £100k-a-week, the Germany international’s long-term future at Stamford Bridge has been in question for virtually the entire season.

The defender’s current contract comes to an end this summer, and has been eligible to speak to foreign clubs about a move on a free transfer since the start of January.

Reports in recent days and weeks have claimed that Real Madrid have emerged as the front-runners for his signature, and that they are confident of landing him.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Brown claimed that the Chelsea squad have been expecting the German to leave Stamford Bridge for a long time, and that they acknowledge he will be badly missed.

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He said: “I think the players at Chelsea saw this coming a long time ago, so I guess they’ve made their peace with it.

“He’s such a big character, such a big voice and a leader both on and off the pitch that they’re going to really miss him. I’m sure everyone in the dressing room knows that.”

A towering presence at the back, Rudiger has become the cornerstone of this Chelsea defence for the past couple of seasons now, with his influence extended to not just on the pitch, but off it too.

At 29, he is in the peak years of his career, and given the extraordinary success the Blues enjoyed last season in winning the Champions League, losing a player of his calibre almost 12 months later makes it a bitter pill for Chelsea fans to swallow.

What makes such a scenario even worse, is the fact they will get no transfer fee for him, while Madrid – the team who