Real Madrid Defender Sparks Transfer Speculation After Al Nassr Meeting

Antonio Rüdiger was spotted at a dinner with Fernando Hierro, Al Nassr sporting director.

Antonio Rüdiger has been linked with Saudi Arabia. / IMAGO/NurPhoto

Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger has sparked speculation that he could leave the club for Saudi Arabia this summer after being pictured out for dinner with a senior Al Nassr official.

Rüdiger was the most reliable center back in a difficult season for Real Madrid, which saw both David Alaba and Éder Militão ruled out for long periods through injury.

But even he wasn’t bulletproof, sidelined for crucial games in February and eventually undergoing knee surgery in April to fix “seven months” of playing through pain.

Real Madrid have started building for the future with the €59.3 million ($67.6 million) signing of Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth. Rüdiger, who is banned from the first game of next season after being issued a six-match suspension for his conduct at the Copa del Rey final, turned 32 in March. He is out of contract next year and had already been linked with Saudi Arabia before a photograph emerged of him at a group dinner attended by Fernando Hierro, Al Nassr’s sporting director.

Rüdiger is a doubt for the Club World Cup while he recovers from knee surgery. / IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Although it wasn’t a one-to-one meeting, it still raised eyebrows as to whether there could have been any attempt to lure Rüdiger to the Saudi Pro League for the last big contract of his career.

But Hierro is also a Real Madrid legend, 602 appearances and 16 trophies over 14 years.

MARCA has assured Los Blancos fans that it was an “informal dinner” attended by mutual friends and that the idea of Rüdiger joining Al Nassr off the back of it “couldn’t be further from the truth”. The Germany international is said to have “no intention” of leaving Real Madrid any time soon.

Due to his April operation, Rüdiger remains a doubt for the imminent FIFA Club World Cup. But MARCA explains he is “convinced” he’ll be available in time to play. Real Madrid’s first game of the competition is against Al Hilal in Miami on June 18.

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