Premier League champions Chelsea have completed the signing of AS Roma defender Antonio Rudiger in a deal worth 29 million pounds. The German defender signed a five-year contract with Chelsea after having helped his national team win the Confederations Cup last week. Rudiger is just 24 years old and he is regarded as one of the best young defenders in Europe, capable of playing both as a central defender and as a right-back. At Chelsea he will probably slot into Antonio Conte's three-man defence alongside David Luiz and Gary Cahill.
"It's a great feeling because not every player has the opportunity to join a huge club like this," said Rudiger. "I am looking forward to meeting up with my new team-mates and I'm very proud to officially become a Chelsea player." Rudiger will take the number 2 shirt, which was vacant after Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic left to join Zenit St Petersburg. Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo added a further statement to suggest that Rudiger will slot right into the first eleven, saying: "He is a player of proven quality."
Antonio Rudiger started his football career within the youth teams at Borussia Dortmund and then moved to Stuttgart in 2011. He scored two goals in 66 Bundesliga appearances for Stuttgart before moving to AS Roma on a season-long loan in 2016. At the end of that season, in which Rudiger scored twice in 37 appearances, Roma paid an extra nine million euros to make the move permanent and persuaded the player to sign a four-year contract. Antonio Rudiger has earned 17 caps for Germany so far and he becomes the second transfer of the summer for Chelsea after Manchester City goalkeeper Willy Caballero.
Chelsea are 7/2 at Bet365 to win the Premier League title next season.
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