Reports: Chelsea could reward in-form Antonio Rudiger with a new contract

What's the story?

Chelsea could look to reward Antonio Rudiger for his fine displays from the back with an exciting new contract. The Daily Mail is reporting that the German defender could receive £100,000 per week if he puts pen to paper, despite having three years left on his current deal.

In case you didn't know

Antonio Rudiger has been one of the best defenders in the English Premier League this season. He looked to be just another average buy from Antonio Conte, but it hasn't taken long for him to come out of his shell and warm up to the new head coach Maurizio Sarri.

Chelsea has looked impressive on an attacking front, but so far in the league, they have conceded just 7 goals. To put this into context, only Liverpool and Manchester City have conceded less. It is a vast improvement on last season under Antonio Conte, where they would concede up to 3 or 4 goals against teams in the lower half of the table.

Rudiger has been one of the most pivotal players as a part of this switch. While Chelsea receives all of the plaudits for their passing movements, the players can feel safe to have Rudiger bossing things at the back.

The heart of the matter

I must admit, this news does come as a bit of a shock. I can't say it isn't warranted, but to focus on Rudiger's situation seems bizarre. Although he does deserve a higher wage, he seems to be loving life in London, and as mentioned earlier, he does have over three years remaining on his current deal.

If Chelsea can get this deal through, though, they will gain a ton of confidence in dealing with Eden Hazard, whose deal runs out in 2020. It goes without saying, but Hazard is Chelsea's main priority, and they must refrain from Arsenal's contract problems of late (waiting until the final season).

Rumour probability: 8/10

While I usually take the Daily Mail with a pinch of salt, there are a number of outlets reporting this rumour. A simple Google search will give you all the information you'll need. Besides, Rudiger is proving to be an important player to Chelsea, so nobody can blame them for wanting to tie him down for long.

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What's next?

Chelsea does have a few contract situations to be considering. Cesc Fabregas, David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Olivier Giroud are the notable players whose contracts run out in 2019. However, of those, only David Luiz is in contention for a long-term future with the club. Overall, this is a positive rumour from Chelsea's perspective.