Chelsea sign Germany defender Rüdiger from Roma
July 9, 2017
Born in Berlin, Rüdiger had a brief spell in the youth ranks at Borussia Dortmund before joining VfB Stuttgart in early 2011.
He spent a a season with Roma on loan in 2015-16 before the Serie A club bought him for a fee of around 9 million euros.
He won the first of 17 caps for German in a friendly against Poland in May 2014 and was a key performer in Germany's 2017 Confederations Cup triumph in Russia.
"It’s a great feeling because not every player has the opportunity to join a huge club like this," Rüdiger said of the Chelsea deal, which is reportedly worth just under 40 million euros.
Chelsea Technical Director Michael Emenalo added: "We are pleased to be able to bring in a player of proven quality who adds to our defensive options.
"Antonio is still young but is experienced at club and international level and possesses all the requisite attributes to thrive in the Premier League.
"We have been aware of him for some time and we are confident he will fit in well with the squad."