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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Dom Smith

Kai Havertz to Real Madrid: Antonio Rudiger on transfer bid as Chelsea set £75m asking price

Former Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger says he wants to play with Kai Havertz again amid speculation the German striker could become Real Madrid’s replacement for Karim Benzema.

Real Madrid are working on a replacement for Benzema, who has left Los Blancos to join Saudi club Al-Ittihad in a deal worth around £200million per season. The France international leaves as the club’s most-decorated player in their history.

Harry Kane is the club’s first-choice replacement, but with Manchester United also keen on Kane and current employers Tottenham unwilling to entertain a sale, Havertz is reportedly their Plan B, with Chelsea putting a £75m asking price on the forward’s head.

Chelsea’s misfiring forward won the Champions League with the Blues in 2021, when Rudiger — a Real Madrid player since last summer — was still at Stamford Bridge.

“It would make me happy to play with Havertz again at club level”, the centre-back said.

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He then admitted: “Unfortunately, I cannot say a lot about it in terms of transfers. My opinion is secondary. They’re club decisions.”

Havertz and Rudiger have also been team-mates for the Germany national team since Havertz’s senior international debut in 2018.

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