Real Madrid centre-back Antonio Rudiger has confirmed that he snubbed interest from Barcelona in order to make the move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Rudiger's five-year stint at Chelsea will officially come to an end on July 1, with the Germany international leaving on a free transfer upon the expiration of his contract.
Lengthy negotiations between Rudiger and Chelsea did not bear fruit, and the former Roma man is said to have turned down an offer which would have made him the Blues' highest-paid defender in history.
Interest in Rudiger was rife, but the 29-year-old ultimately elected to sign for Real Madrid and has penned a four-year deal with the La Liga and Champions League holders.
The likes of Manchester United, Juventus and Barcelona were credited with an interest in Rudiger, and the German has revealed that La Blaugrana had tabled an offer to him.
© Reuters
However, speaking at his official unveiling as a Real Madrid player, the defender insisted that he had his heart set on Los Blancos after holding talks with manager Carlo Ancelotti.
"The first time I got in contact, not really me, my agent, was early September. The second time, I spoke with Mr Ancelotti, was in April. That was the most important moment," Rudiger told the press.
"That was when I made my choice. I wanted to play for this club under him. There was interest from Barcelona but I told my brother, it's Real or nothing."
Rudiger leaves Chelsea having scored 12 goals and provided seven assists in 202 games for the West London club since his £31.5m move from Roma in 2017.
The ex-Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart product collected numerous trophies at Stamford Bridge, winning the Champions League, FA Cup, Club World Cup, Europa League and UEFA Super Cup with the Blues.
© Reuters
Rudiger is not the only member of Thomas Tuchel's backline to move on to pastures new this summer, as Andreas Christensen will also walk out of the door as a free agent this summer.
The Denmark international is thought to be Barcelona-bound, but there has been no official confirmation of his move to Camp Nou just yet.
Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta's futures are also being called into question amid links with Xavi's side, with the former in particular already confirming his desire to play in La Liga.
However, Tuchel is reportedly pushing to keep Azpilicueta on the books at Stamford Bridge, but the 32-year-old will soon enter the final 12 months of his contract.
Jules Kounde, Milan Skriniar and Kalidou Koulibaly are thought to be some of the top candidates to replace Rudiger and Christensen at Chelsea, although the latter apparently wants to end his career at Napoli.
Ben Knapton
