Al Ittihad target Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger; ready to offer bumper contract

Nacho Fernandez joined the Saudi club Al-Qadsiah this summer

Antonio Rudiger has been linked with a move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad, who will battle local rival Al-Nassr for the defender’s signature. The Middle East team are set to offer the German defender a mouthwatering salary to tempt him to join them in the summer. 

Reports suggest that Al-Ittihad are willing to pay the former Chelsea star a €12–13 million salary in a year if he decides to join them. This isn’t the first case of Saudi sides tempting European players to join their teams.

In the past two years, we have seen Saudi Arabia boast their football status with high-profile signings and handing the players lucrative contracts. 

Rudiger, who has only two years left on his Real Madrid deal, joined the Los Blancos from Chelsea in 2022 and has been the regular starter for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, winning the Champions League and La Liga last season. 

Rudiger appeared in 48 games last season, helping the Spanish team keep 22 clean sheets. Al-Itthad interest comes from Al-Nassr wanting to sign the centre-back, and the former side is ready to go overboard to bring the player to Saudi Arabia. 

Cristiano Ronaldo was the first highest-paid player to join the Saudi team, and since his move, we have witnessed an array of European players such as Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, and Joao Neves relocate to the Middle East. 

Other Real Madrid players linked with a Saudi move.

Luka Modric has also been sought by Saudi teams, but the Croatian has extended his contract for another year. Toni Kroos was another Los Blancos star before he announced his retirement from football.

Meanwhile, Nacho Fernandez recently joined Al Qadsiah on a two-year deal after leaving Real Madrid. Another real star who moved to the Middle East has been Joselu, who is set to join Al-Gharafa after Madrid decided to part ways with the forward. 

We will witness more such speculations as Saudi teams will once again raid many European top teams for their players. It will be interesting to see which will be one of the surprising moves in summer.

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