Antonio Conte is ‘pushing hard’ for Tottenham to sign Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger, Football Insider report.
£31.5million-rated defender Rudiger is currently poised to leave Chelsea on a free transfer when his contract expires in the summer.
Tottenham’s London rivals are currently unable to discuss terms with the centre-back under the sanctions imposed by the UK government.
The German is thought to be demanding a £200,000-per-week wage, more than doubling his present salary of £90,000.
According to FI, he’s been a target for Spurs since last summer, and they tried to secure a pre-contract agreement in January.
A Spurs source has informed the publication of a fresh behind-the-scenes ‘twist’, with Conte putting pressure on the club to seal the transfer. As a result, it’s become a ‘major test’ of Spurs chairman Daniel Levy ‘and his ambition’.
Levy is said to be aware of the ‘potential repercussions’ if he fails to deliver the 29-year-old for Conte.
Tottenham face some daunting competition from across Europe, with the report naming FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain as rival suitors.
Signing Rudiger would be a major boost to Spurs, and a bitter blow for Chelsea, as they look to close the gap on the Premier League’s top three next season.
Their backline already includes Cristian Romero, whom The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare has placed in the same bracket as Virgil van Dijk and Ruben Dias, and would look all-the-more formidable with the addition of Rudiger.
The former Roma man featured in last year’s Champions League Squad of the Season after helping Chelsea win the competition. Rudiger has even stunned Rio Ferdinand, who’s dubbed him ‘amazing’ and noted his penchant for ‘screaming’ at the opposition.
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