"We had talks" - Barcelona confirm they contacted 29-year-old Chelsea star's agent  

Barcelona's director of foootball Mateu Alemany has admitted that the club have had talks with Chelsea star Antonio Rudiger’s agent Saif Rubie. The 59-year-old, however, has claimed that the two parties didn’t discuss a potential transfer for the German, stating that “agents represent more than one player.”

Chelsea’s dependable central defender Antonio Rudiger will be out of contract in June 2022, meaning he is free to discuss terms with interested parties. Barcelona, who are supposedly signing Andreas Christensen (via Fabrizio Romano) from the Blues, have reportedly (via iMiaSanMia) had contact with Rudiger as well.

The club’s director of football has now publicly acknowledged that Barca have indeed had talks with the player’s agent but they weren’t regarding Rudiger. Speaking to Movistar+, Alemany said:

“We had a meeting with his agent but we didn't talk about that situation. Agents represent more than one player and that could lead to confusion. Also, it's not our custom to talk about contracted players so we can't help.”

Alemany added that Barcelona were not thinking about transfers just yet and would only buy players after talking to their coach, Xavi. He explained:

“Now is not the time to think about [next season]. We work in all positions and, at the end of the whole season, we will talk to the coach and make decisions based on the market.”

Barcelona, who were handed a shock 1-0 defeat by Rayo Vallecano on Sunday (24 April), are currently in second position in the La Liga standings. Real Madrid sit at the summit, a whopping 15 points ahead of Xavi’s struggling Barca.

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Barcelona’s arch-rivals closing in on Chelsea centre-back

As per renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Blaugrana’s bitterest rivals Real Madrid are currently in pole position to sign Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger. Due to sanctions imposed upon the Blues, they cannot offer Rudiger an extension, making the pursuit easier for Los Blancos.

As per Romano, the Chelsea star has a verbal agreement with Carlo Ancelotti’s side, but is yet to put pen to paper. Los Merengues are set to offer the player a long-term deal, with only the final details remaining to be agreed upon.

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