da gbg bet： According to reports in the Daily Telegraph, Chelsea are closing in on a £30m deal to sign AS Roma defender Antonio Rudiger.
What’s the word, then?
da betway： Well, Blues boss Antonio Conte has been looking to sign a new centre-back this summer and after Nathan Ake left to join Bournemouth on Friday, it seems as though the Germany international is set to replace him at Stamford Bridge after a deal worth around £30m was agreed, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The report adds that the 24-year-old’s agent has travelled to England to complete the deal after the Premier League champions acted quickly when a move to Zenit St Petersburg for Rudiger’s Roma teammate Kostas Manolas collapsed this week.
How did Rudiger do last season?
The 24-year-old was a regular in the Roma backline throughout the campaign and he made 36 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal and providing a further four assists.
The German also played in three different positions in the backline last term, and that is an attribute that will have impressed Conte.
Will he be a good signing for Chelsea?
He certainly looks as though he will be, yes.
The centre-back has been an impressive performer for club and country in recent years and he made 88 clearances in 26 Serie A outings last term.
Perhaps more impressive – and something that may have impressed Conte even more – is Rudiger’s confidence on the ball though.
The 24-year-old finished the Italian league campaign with a passing accuracy of 83% while he also showed his ability to bring the ball out of defence by successfully completing 16 of the 23 take-ons he attempted.
Where will he fit in at Chelsea?
As we mentioned before, Rudiger can cover all of the defensive positions and even though his preferred spot is at centre-back, he also played at left and right-back for Roma last season.
However, he is likely to play on the right side of the back three in Conte’s preferred 3-4-3 formation next term which would be interesting considering Cesar Azpilicueta was so impressive there last term.
What’s the verdict, then?
Well, there is no doubt that Rudiger looks to have a bright future and he will be another strong addition to the Chelsea backline, and it will be interesting to see whether he will be a starter under Antonio Conte right away.