Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

Chelsea, Liverpool and Dortmund target Antonio Rudiger happy at Roma

Roma defender Antonio Rudiger has given no assurances about his future amid rumoured interest from a host of Europe's top teams, though he is happy to stay at the club.

Rudiger, 23, has just completed his first season in Serie A, finishing third with the Giallorossi and making his Champions League debut, but he has not ruled out a move away this summer even if he insists he is happy in the Italian capital.

The Stuttgart centre-back spent last season on loan at Roma, and they have a €9 million transfer option to make the deal permanent. The Italians are likely to take up that clause, though they may then immediately sell him on for a bigger fee. 

Chelsea, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund are just three of the clubs reportedly keen on the Germany international, who was coy on his future in an interview with Revier Sport.

"I'm currently a Roma player and I'm very happy here -- I'm just happy at this club and in this city," he said. "But, of course, you can never know what happens in football. Maybe the club decide to do something different or something happens after the European Championship.

"I'm quite relaxed about the future. I've been hearing the rumours about Chelsea for three years already. All I can repeat is that I feel very good in Rome and that I'll just take it as it comes."

In a separate interview with Germany's Bild newspaper, Rudiger admitted he does one day hope to play in the Premier League.

"I love good weather and good food. But I was born in Berlin, and you also have bad weather there often enough," he said. "I might have everything I am longing for in Rome, but I have always said that one day I would like to play in England. That has not changed to this day."

English football is particularly attractive to Rudiger, who thinks the Italian game is falling further behind in comparison.

"Even the Italians are starting to realise that their football is no longer regarded so highly by the rest of the world," Rudiger said. "On the one hand, it's down to the way many clubs are being run, and on the other hand down to their performances in Europe.

"Serie A has lost a lot of excitement in recent years. The Milanese clubs are no longer as successful as they were in the past and Juventus are showing each year how good they are.

"Juve have become a sort of Serie A's Bayern Munich. Their rivals just can't afford to show any weakness, but even we slipped up at times against the so-called smaller clubs, unfortunately."

^ Back to Top ^