Chelsea Defender Antonio Rudiger Has One Demand To Stay At The Club

Antonio Rudiger has changed his mind about definitely leaving Chelsea at the end of the season, although he still has one fairly big demand.

Rudiger has long been expected to leave Stamford Bridge this summer, with his contract set to expire when the season comes to an end.

The German centre back has become one of the best in his position in the world under Thomas Tuchel, having previously not been favoured by Frank Lampard.

It's no surprise that the likes of Real Madrid and PSG have been linked with Rudiger, especially with no transfer fee being needed to guarantee his services.

Having previously been expected to leave Chelsea though, it now appears that the 28-year-old is actually willing to stay in west London.

"I feel great here, I have always said it. I think the way I play you can see that I’m happy here," the defender told the Athletic when asked what it would take for him to stay.

And he put it all on the club to make him want to remain there, adding, "But there are also other people who have to make decisions."

Rudiger celebrates during the FIFA Club World Cup win. Image: PA Images

That decision is expected to be on wages, with Rudiger actually earning one of the lowest amounts for a first teamer in Tuchel's side.

The former Roma defender is said to be on around £90,000-a-week currently, putting him well below the likes of Romelu Lukaku and N'Golo Kante.

Rudiger's smaller wages are even reportedly lower than Callum Hudson-Odoi, with the 21-year-old still far from guaranteed a place in the starting line up.

According to the Athletic, the one demand he has in order to extend his stay at Chelsea is his wages being increased to £225,000-a-week.

In August he was reportedly offered £140,000-a-week, a significant raise from his current level but still nowhere near the level of many of his teammates.

Rudiger wants closer to parity with the club's top earners. Image: PA Images

Speaking after winning the Club World Cup at the weekend, the centre back got fans excited that he would stay put, saying, "Of course I want to win the Premier League.

"Does it keep getting better and better for me at Chelsea? Yes. We had never won this trophy [Club World Cup] in Chelsea’s history before. I’m very delighted that we didn’t give up, that we did our thing. We tried everything and won."

Fellow Chelsea defenders Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta are also out of contract in the summer, and Barcelona have been linked with all three.