Real Madrid players Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois are both expecting reported Tottenham target Antonio Rudiger to join the club next summer.
According to the Telegraph, there is confidence between the two players that their former Chelsea teammate will also make the move from west London to the Spanish capital.
29-year-old Courtois joined Madrid in 2018 after a falling out with Antonio Conte, whilst Hazard joined his Belgian international a year later in a mega transfer worth a reported £150m according to BBC Sport.
And now, Rudiger is likely to join them. As per the report, Madrid are willing to double the German defender’s wage of £140,000-a-week, something Tottenham would simply not be able to match.
Eurosport reported earlier in the year that Spurs were keen on signing the former AS Roma star. However, it looks like Madrid will win the race for the 28-year-old defender, who will leave Chelsea for free in the summer.
Whilst the news will come as a blow for Spurs, it is perhaps not too surprising that Madrid have won the race for Rudiger given their prestige in world football and the guarantee of UEFA Champions League football.
Madrid were always going to win race for Rudiger
Indeed, it would have been impressive if Spurs were able to sign a recent UEFA Champions League winner. However, Madrid always seems to be the most likely outcome for Rudiger, who is entering the peak of his career.
Factor in his astronomical wage demands, and it makes total sense why Tottenham were pipped to Rudiger by Madrid, who have the financial power to sign essentially anyone on the planet.
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