European champions Real Madrid on Thursday announced that they have signed a free contract with German international defender Antonio Rudiger until 2026, following the expiration of his contract with Chelsea.

Sharjah 24 – Azad Khalil:

Real Madrid, the Spanish and European champions in football and Chelsea, on Thursday agreed to sign German international defender Antonio Rudyker on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with Real Madrid.

Real Madrid have announced that they have signed Rudiger for a four-season deal and on June 20 he will officially announce it to the public and the media.

Rudiger has been a regular for Chelsea since joining Roma in 2017.

“I’m very excited about all the challenges that await me, and I’m looking forward to starting my life with this giant club,” the 29-year-old Rudiger said through his account on the social networking site Twitter.

Rudy described Chelsea as one of the most motivated players to represent the club in recent years.

Rudiger has played more than 200 matches in all competitions with Chelsea and has won the Champions League, European League, FA Cup, European Super Cup and Club World Cup with the London Club.

Rudiger joined Roma on loan from Stuttgart, where he began his playing career in 2015, when the loan was converted into a permanent contract at the end of the season.

He has played in 50 matches for the German national team since his debut on the team in 2014.