Tottenham Hotspur are among the clubs monitoring Antonio Rudiger's situation...
What's the word?
That's according to 90min, who claim that Premier League rivals Chelsea are no closer to agreeing on a new contract with the 28-year-old centre-back, whose representatives have 'barely' spoken with director Marina Granovskaia.
It's thought that the last offer fell well short of expectations despite pleas from manager Thomas Tuchel to reward him with an extension.
In four months time, Rudiger can field offers from abroad, with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus all said to be keeping a close eye on the German international.
Spurs have previously tried and failed to sign the defender and are expected to retain an interest in his services.
Quite the coup
If Italian supremo Fabio Paratici can land the vastly-experienced Premier League colossus ahead of some of those teams, then it would have to be regarded as a massive coup - and one that could see Spurs elevate to the next level.
The Lilywhites must throw the kitchen sink at the £18m-rated star. He's won an FA Cup, a Champions League and a Europa League since arriving in England back in July 2017. These are accolades that the vast majority of Nuno's squad are lacking.
Last season, as the Blues were crowned Champions of Europe, the 6 foot 3 centre-back was rated at their third-best player in the top-flight (7.02) and averaged 1.6 tackles, 2.7 clearances and a 89.4% passing accuracy per game, via WhoScored.
During the campaign, he was also a rock against Spurs as he helped silence a frontline containing Heung-min Son, Carlos Vinicius, Steven Bergwijn and Tanguy Ndombele, with Chelsea winning 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in February.
His form under Tuchel earned a glowing endorsement from Premier League legend Rio Ferdinand back in August. He told his podcast (via the Metro):
"Look at Rudiger, he’s arguably, since Tuchel has been there [at Chelsea], been the best defender in the Premier League. Him or [Ruben] Dias in that time. He’s been unbelievable, he’s like an animal."
If the opportunity arises to sign Rudiger in the coming windows, then Spurs must do all they can to secure him. A backline containing him and Cristian Romero could be one to be feared for the next few years.
AND in other news, Spurs dealt cruel double injury blow ahead of Palace clash...