Chelsea are ready to meet Antonio Rudiger's contract demands in order to stem the number of defenders they are set to lose this summer, it has been claimed.
The Blues are currently facing the prospect of losing Rudiger along with captain Cesar Azpilicueta and fellow centre-back Andreas Christensen when the three Chelsea stars' contracts expire at the end of the season.
And the latest reports have revealed an update in Rudiger's contract stand-off with the Stamford Bridge outfit.
It comes as Manchester United are ready to swoop for a Barcelona star has been spoken about as a replacement for one of Chelsea's defensive contract rebels.
And the Blues booked their place in the final of the CLub World Cup with a 1-0 win over Al Hilal in Tuesday's semi-final.
Here are Mirror Football's latest Chelsea headlines.
Have Your Say! What did you make of Chelsea's Club World Cup performance against Al Hilal? Tell us here.
Al Hilal talking points
Romelu Lukaku fired Chelsea to the Club World Cup final as his goal proved enough for theBlues to secure a 1-0 win.
The Belgium international could not miss when presented with Yasir Alshahrani’s unwitting deflection just yards from goal as he lashed into an empty net.
Chelsea had no problems at the back despite Edouard Mendy's absence and their opponents had a familiar face in their starting XI.
It was a game full of talking points, and Mirror Football hs covered them all.
Rudiger contract latest
Chelsea are reportedly ready to meet Antonio Rudiger's contract demands as they fear losing too many defenders this summer.
Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta could all walk away from Stamford Bridge for free when current contracts expire on July 1.
The Blues are said to have been locked in negotiations with Rudger's representatives after the player turned down their offer worth £140,000-per-week.
But an update has been issued which claims the Germany international could be inching closer to signing a new deal.
United 'enter transfer race'
Manchester United are ready to rival Chelsea for the signature of Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo, according to reports.
While Chelsea could lose at least three centre-backs this summer, United are facing their own defensive crisis with reinforcements reportedly under consideration at Old Trafford.
One of the players they are said to be looking at is Barca star Araujo, whose contract in Spain expires at the end of next season with the player already linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.
And it is claimed that United have presented their offer to the Uruguayan.
