Alongside the admiring glances being shot in his direction by Tottenham, French giants Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be mulling over an approach. A stunning return to Chelsea has not been ruled out either.
Spurs are eager to position themselves at the front of the recruitment queue amid fears that Romero will move on when the next transfer window opens. Rudiger could be acquired without the need for a fee to change hands, which would allow funds to be invested elsewhere by the club’s new head coach – with a successor to the ousted Thomas Frank being sought.
Reports in Spain claim that Rudiger’s preference would be to remain in Madrid. He is training and working on building match sharpness at present, with opportunities expected to come his way under interim Blancos boss Alvaro Arbeloa.
Rudiger said at the end of the 2024-25 campaign when questions of his next move first began to be asked: “Future? In football you never know, but where I am now [Real Madrid], I’m really, really happy. I’m not looking forward to leave any time soon. That’s it.”
He has added since then, with only nine appearances across all competitions being taken in this season: “I know my body very well and as you get older, things are not the same as before. I need to feel good to play, and luckily I am feeling good now.”