Exclusive – Milan are close to securing the loan signing of Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger with the Blues happy to let the German depart without penning a new deal.
Rudiger is yet to make a Premier League appearance for Frank Lampard’s side this season, with the likes of Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen and Thiago Silva all being preferred at centre-back.
The 27-year-old currently has two years left on his current deal and it had been reported that Chelsea were keen to extend this by 12 months before sanctioning his Stamford Bridge departure.
However, a source has told 90min that the Blues are now willing to let Rudiger join Milan on loan without a new contract being agreed beforehand. Talks are already well underway between the two clubs and a deal is likely to be struck soon.
Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham have also been linked with the former Stuttgart man recently but the Rossoneri appear to have won the race for his signature.
Milan have made a perfect start to the season, winning all of the first three Serie A games and also progressing into the Europa League group stages after an enthralling penalty shootout victory against Rio Ave. Their first game back after the international break is against city rivals Inter, where their new signing could line up against former manager Antonio Conte.
Rudiger made 26 appearances in all competitions last season thanks to a string of niggling injuries. These days, he is some way down the pecking order in west London and it is thought he is open to a loan move as he tries to earn his place in the Germany squad for next summer’s European Championships.
He did manage to squeeze his way into the most recent Die Mannschaft selection but with competitions for places rife, it could only be a matter of time before Joachim Low explores other options.