BREAKING: Thomas Tuchel Confirms That Antonio Rudiger Will Depart Chelsea At The End Of The Season.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has announced that defender Antonio Rudiger will leave the club at the end of the season.

The German central defender, turned down a new contract offer and rejected the latest offer, worth £200,000 a week salary leaving manager Thomas Tuchel looking for a new defender.

Rudiger would have been the highest-earning defender in the club's history, alongside substantial signing-on and agent fees.

The former Stuttgart and Roma player joined Chelsea in July 2017 for £29 million, and has made 192 appearances, scoring 12 goals across all competitions for the club so far.

He has won the Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and an FA Cup in his five-year stay at the West London club.

The 29-year-old is a top target for Real Madrid and in advanced talks with the Spanish giants, among others, and will now turn his attention to agreeing a contract with another club before his existing deal expires in June.

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Following Chelsea's hard earned 1-0 victory against West Ham at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon, Chelsea boss have now confirmed during his post match press conference confirmed that Rüdiger will leave Chelsea;

“He wants to leave the club. He informed me in a private talk. We had big offers for him and the club tried everything. But for some weeks, we can't fight anymore because of the actions. We can't continue... Tuchel told football.london.

"We can’t compete because of the sanctions. But now we don't take it personally. It’s his decision.

"He has a groin injury and in the other a hamstring. He is someone who plays through pain anyway and is used to it. It's muscle pain, huge discomfort, and he feels insecure because he is not used to muscle injuries.

When asked if he has ant replacement yet for Rudiger, Tuchel said;

"At the moment no because of the sanctions but then it will be difficult because Toni is what he is. A big personality, a leader, and he takes fear away from other people. 

"He gives players confidence and plays matches with consistency. 

"It will be challenging but like always, no matter how much I love Toni, there will be Chelsea without Toni and we will find solutions.

He also added that Rudiger had assured him that he will play with everything he has until the end of the season.

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Meanwhile, Chelsea won't just lose just Rudiger in the summer, another defender Andreas Christensen is linked to a free transfer to Barcelona and captain Cesar Azpilicueta also rumoured to be considering a return to Spain when his contract expires in the summer.

Chelsea targets from last summer Jules Kounde from Sevilla, Matthijs De Ligt from Juventus, Adam Webster from Brighton, and Marquinhos from PSG as the potential options to come in to fill the gaps at Stamford Bridge.