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Real Madrid are considering accelerating their pursuit of Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger so they can sign him in January, it has been anticipated in Spain.

Rudiger is in the final year of his contract at Chelsea and Madrid are one of his main admirers elsewhere. They are believed to be in a battle with Bayern Munich to sign him if he does not renew with Chelsea. But Bayern have played down the links, so Real may be the favourites.

It was recently revealed that Chelsea’s own hopes of keeping Rudiger are not over. He is, of course, a key player who has been revitalised under Thomas Tuchel. Talks are ongoing over prolonging his stay, but it would have to be on a better salary to convince the German.

If they cannot accommodate that, then Real will try to sneak in. They have had their own budgetary issues in recent years, but signing Rudiger for free would work. Indeed, they operated on similar terms to acquire David Alaba from Bayern this summer.

But it has now been speculated that Madrid could actually pay Chelsea for Rudiger. According to Onda Cero, it is not impossible that the La Liga outfit decide to sign him in January.

They have so far had some issues with their defensive transition this season. After losing Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane to PSG and Manchester United respectively, their backline has a new look. Alaba was the only reinforcement in the rearguard, though, and another option may be required.

Real think Rudiger fits the bill and have even had his approval for a number of months. That claim seems to contradict the player’s own comments that he hasn’t spoken with anyone other than Chelsea. His agents may be working in the background, it seems.

If Madrid are to move in January, they would have to pay a small fee to Chelsea for his services. But they may feel it is a necessity. Despite being top of La Liga after eight games, they have conceded as many goals as the team down in 14th (Elche).

Rudiger would be a useful reinforcement to make Carlo Ancelotti’s side even stronger. The coach will be aware of what the player can do from his time as a Premier League rival with Everton.

It seems Real may be ready to speed up their pursuit so the pair can link up sooner than expected. That will leave Chelsea to decide whether to get what money they can for Rudiger or if keeping him to the end of his contract would be more valuable on the pitch.

Another Chelsea star wanted in Madrid

Meanwhile, one of Rudiger’s teammates for both club and country has also been linked with a move to the Spanish capital.

Timo Werner has reportedly become a target for Atletico Madrid, Real’s cross-city rivals who beat them to the La Liga title last season.

Werner has struggled to live up to expectations since a big-money move from RB Leipzig last year. His record isn’t bad, but not of the level they paid for.

Consequently, they broke their transfer record to re-sign the more reliable Romelu Lukaku this summer. In turn, Werner’s future is now in question.

It has been reported that he will consider his future if he continues to struggle for regular gametime.

Now Atletico have become apparent suitors for Werner, as per TransferMarketWeb. They already have plenty of attacking firepower but could be on the lookout for one more addition.

If they press ahead with any plans, two Chelsea teammates could transfer to differing parts of Madrid in the winter.

READ MORE: Tuchel tells Conte to go and watch recent Chelsea game in firm Lukaku response

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