It has been another good week for Bayern Munich on the pitch as they collected all three points away at Greuther Furth on Friday. Along with this result, there has also been an interesting development on the transfer front reported in Germany.
Multiple media outlets have confirmed Die Roten’s interest in Antonio Rudiger during the last few days. The 28-year-old center-back has entered the final 12 months of his deal at Chelsea. Along with numerous top European clubs, Bayern is also interested in signing Rudiger on a free transfer.
Rudiger has refused to address speculation in his latest interview. Since he will be available for a free transfer and the next contract will be the last bumper one for him, his wage demands are likely to be significant.
According to SportBild’s Christian Falk (via iMiaSanMia), Rudiger’s current wage demands will fit in the structure placed at Die Roten. The German international is looking for wages worth more than €10 million gross per year. Falk is also reporting that Niklas Sule is likely to leave Rekordmeister as both parties are not convinced about a new deal.
Antonio Rüdiger is open to a move to FC Bayern. The German defender is unconvinced by Chelsea's offer of €8.5m gross per year, as the club offered Jules Koundé €6m net. Rüdiger wants more than €10m gross per year, which is doable for Bayern [Podcast Bayern Insider, @cfbayern] pic.twitter.com/rzbUrM5QhT
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) September 24, 2021
Rudiger will fit the bill as he will be at most in the second tier of earners at Die Roten if a transfer materializes. Considering the experience of Rudiger at the top level, getting him on a free transfer will be good business from Die Roten in case Sule ends up leaving next summer.
The German Champions have been very particular about the wage structure at the club. They managed to agree to new contracts for Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka without stretching the wage budget of the club.
During the negotiations with David Alaba last season, Die Roten showed strong resolve. They had no interest in increasing the offer as Alaba was looking to become one of the best-paid players at the club. Die Roten decided to withdraw their offer early in the last campaign and allowed Alaba to leave on a free transfer in summer.
The Bavarian club will be surely implementing similar wage measures on new arrivals. The arrival of Leroy Sane from Manchester City on big wages had a knock-on effect on other players in the squad. After Sane’s big wages, Kingsley Coman is reportedly looking for a bumper deal as talks with the club have reached an impasse. Die Roten will be hoping to avoid such a scenario in the future, so getting players like Rudiger that fit in the wage structure is essential.