Reports in Spain claim that Real Madrid are no longer in the running to sign Antonio Rudiger after talks with the out-of-contract Chelsea defender hit a stumbling block.

Rudiger, 28, recently entered the final six months of his current Stamford Bridge deal and does not appear close to an extension, having rejected an offer worth £140,000 per week from the Blues.

The Germany defender’s representatives are therefore understood to have opened talks with a number of clubs over a potential free transfer next summer, including Bayern Munich, PSG and Juventus as well as Real.

The latter were seemingly frontrunners to secure his signature next summer, but Spanish outlets El Chiringuito and Marca are now reporting, via the Daily Mail, that talks between the two parties have failed to progress.

Rudiger is said to be demanding £200,000 per week at the Bernabeu, a hefty salary Los Blancos chiefs are not prepared to hand him.

He is not helped by the fact the club are more than happy with their current defensive partnership of David Alaba and Eder Militao, whom they believe form the best centre-back pairing in European football.

As a result, Rudiger will not be heading to Madrid when his Chelsea deal expires in the summer, leaving the likes of Bayern, PSG and Juve in the driving seat.

The former Roma and Stuttgart man has spent the last four-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge, featuring 166 times and winning the FA Cup, Europa League and Champions League.

Speaking about his contractual situation on Tuesday, Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel said: “I cannot predict the future and I don’t know if (Rudiger’s) representatives are talking to other clubs or not.

“Of course, it is possible, it is January and he hasn’t signed a new contract with us yet but we are in communication with him, the club is in dialogue with his people.”