Antonio Rudiger has finalised his free transfer to Real Madrid from Chelsea, signing a four-year contract.
After rejecting Chelsea’s offer to extend his contract, the Germany international, 29, has joined the new Spanish and European champions.
Rudiger joined Chelsea from Roma in 2017 for a cost of £29 million.
He appeared in 203 games for Chelsea, scoring 12 goals and won the FA Cup, Champions League, Europa League, Uefa Super Cup, and Club World Cup.
“One of the most passionate individuals to represent the club in recent memory,” Chelsea said of Rudiger.
Rudiger was given a contract worth more than £200,000 to stay at Chelsea after speaking with Bayern Munich.
In April, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel remarked, “We did everything and now we’re in a situation where we can’t fight any longer because of the sanctions, and Toni will depart.”
Tuchel was alluding to the club’s constraints as a result of the UK government punishing previous owner Roman Abramovich in March, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The government claims that Abramovich has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he denies.
The club was placed up for sale by Abramovich, and in late May, a consortium led by American billionaire Todd Boehly and private equity company Clearlake Capital finalised a £4.25 billion buyout.
Chelsea are also poised to lose Danish centre-back Andreas Christensen to Barcelona on a free transfer this summer, while captain Cesar Azpilicueta is expected to stay after his contract was extended for a year earlier this season.
Rudiger will be revealed to the public on June 20th, according to Real Madrid.
