Rudiger’s agent/brother: “We had been in contact with Real Madrid since 2016”

Real Madrid defender and newcomer Antonio Rudiger’s brother/agent Sahr Senesie says they had been in contact with the club since 2016 before finally making the move to the Bernabeu this summer in an interview with German magazine Kicker.

Senesie reveals that Real Madrid were interested in making the move in 2019, but no deal occurred because Chelsea would not have been able to replace him at the time.

“The contact was directly with Real Madrid, not with him, but with the management. No complications arose, since we had been in contact with the club since 2016.”

“The interest materialized in 2019, before Chelsea’s signing ban came and Toni didn’t want to force a transfer out of respect for those in charge at Chelsea. Chelsea wouldn’t have been able to sign a replacement for him at that time.”

Senesie broke down the steps in the negotiations between himself, Rudiger and the club during contract talks. He said Rudiger speaking with Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti in 2018 further solidified his confidence in making the move this summer.

“The important thing is not to rush. The important thing is to leave the conversations with a good feeling, so that when he calls again people are happy to answer the phone again In any case, the next step is to involve the coach , and if a conversation with the player is desired, it will take place. Finally, there is the legal component.”

“I have been in close contact with Carlo [Ancelotti] since 2018, from Naples. Carlo explained to him how he conceives the whole thing in sporting terms. Toni liked that. It was a very good conversation and it further reinforced his good feeling.”