Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is reportedly following Antonio Rudiger’s future. The Chelsea defender has yet to sign a contract extension at Stamford Bridge.
Spurs are looking for reinforcements in their central defense after Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld left the club over the past two years.
And German international Rüdiger was a long-term goal for the north London club, who tried to sign him from both Stuttgart and Roma before joining Chelsea.
The 28-year-old had fallen out of favor in West London under Frank Lampard, but became a mainstay of the Chelsea team that won the Champions League under Thomas Tuchel last season.
Rüdiger’s contract expires in the summer and it is assumed that considerable progress will have to be made in extending his contract at the club.
And should the defender’s contract with Chelsea expire, Levy is ready to loosen his wallet and put together an attractive package to lure the player across London, according to 90min.
CONTINUE READING:
January Chelsea eye transfer offer for Jules Kounde due to two stars
Chelsea had strong ties this summer with a player who could replace Rudiger in Tuchel’s system should the German join Spurs.
And Seville’s sporting director Monchi even confirmed that both the club and Jules Kounde are interested in the move.
“There was one club he liked and it was Chelsea,” said Monchi. “The first and only formal offer was not what we wanted and was contingent on Chelsea selling a player.
“It was an important offering in today’s world of so many needs, but it didn’t meet our needs, conditions or quantities.”
Follow our new Daily Express Sport Instagram page here
Spurs already strengthened their central defensive back this summer with Atalanta’s Christian Romero in a deal that could ultimately be worth up to £ 42million.
And Tottenham also brought on Bryan Gil from Sevilla, Pierluigi Gollini from Atalanta, Pape Sarr from Metz and Barcelona’s full-back Emerson Royal.
But perhaps the window’s most significant transfer activity for Spurs was the fact that five first-team players left the club.
Moussa Sissoko and Erik Lamela were among the leavers, although the club had had difficulties for some time to get such players out of the books.
Do you think you know SPORT? Test your sporting knowledge with our tricky quiz
Spurs are at the top of the Premier League after the first three rounds of play thanks to three consecutive 1-0 wins that open Nuno Espirito Santo’s career as a Tottenham coach.
The league leaders are back in action after the international break against Crystal Palace in the early kick-off on Saturday.
However, Spurs could do without Argentina internationals Giovani Lo Celso and Romero for a few weeks after the two became embroiled in a coronavirus deportation controversy during the recent South American qualifiers.
Brazilian health officials stormed the pitch during the game between the continental rivals, saying the Premier League players on display had failed to abide by the country’s quarantine rules.