Barcelona are keen on luring Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger, according to Sport. Though he was a key player for the club over recent years, Rudiger seems to have slipped down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge following the arrival of Thiago Silva at the club.
As things stand, Blues manager Frank Lampard appears to prefer Kurt Zouma, Silva, Andreas Christensen, and Fikayo Tomori over Rudiger. He has made just one start for the club so far this season. As he is now 27-years-old, it is difficult to see him making a return to Lampard’s first-team plans on a regular basis.
Could Barcelona provide a home for Rudiger?
Rudiger will need to play regular football if he wants to get regularly called up by the German national team. If he carries on not playing regularly, he will probably not be selected for the German team which will contest the European Championships next year.
Barcelona is a club in the rebuilding phase. If Rudiger goes to the Camp Nou, he could stand a good chance of regular first-team football. The Blaugrana are hotly tipped to enter the race to sign former academy product Eric Garcia from Manchester City.
Should a deal for the youngster not materialize in January, Rudiger could be brought in to add stability to the unpredictable backline of the Blaugrana.
The report also touted Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi, Federico Fazio and German Pezzella as potential short-term defensive options for Barcelona.
It is safe to say that Rudiger will be the best option for Barcelona from the aforementioned options. In addition to being vastly experienced, he is also a proven player in Italy, Germany, and England. He is at the prime of his career and could even establish himself as a first-team regular for an elite club in Europe’s top five leagues if he adapts well into the setup.
