Chelsea will be "desperate to avoid" defender Antonio Rudiger joining London rivals Tottenham, says transfer insider Dean Jones.
Rudiger is into the final year of his contract, and Tottenham are one club who have been linked with the 28-year-old.
What is the latest news involving Rudiger?
According to the Daily Mail, Rudiger is set to become one of the world's richest paid defenders, with some of Europe's biggest sides willing to offer the 6 ft 3 centre-back a £400,000-a-week deal.
It is unlikely that Tottenham would pay Rudiger that sort of money, with Harry Kane and Tanguy Ndombele the club's highest earners on £200,000 a week, per Spotrac. However, the north London outfit have been credited with an interest in the German.
The Independent recently reported that both Spurs and Manchester United would like to sign Rudiger when his contract expires next summer, though he would prefer a move abroad if new terms cannot be agreed with Chelsea.
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte was the man to bring Rudiger to England when he was Chelsea boss, so it would not be a surprise if the Italian was spearheading Spurs' pursuit.
What has Jones said about Rudiger and Tottenham?
Rudiger leaving Chelsea at the end of the season is starting to look inevitable. The European champions, though, will be desperate to avoid a situation where the 49-cap Germany international ends up joining their London rivals, says Jones.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT about Rudiger's possible departure, the journalist said: "Obviously going from Chelsea to Tottenham would be a massive deal and they'd be desperate to avoid that, but it's almost out of their hands now. And it's probably going to come down to whoever's willing to pay the most money."
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Who else is interested in Rudiger?
If Tottenham really do want Rudiger, then they are going to have a real battle on their hands.
The Daily Mail have also claimed that Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Juventus are all interested in the £31.5m-rated star.
As for Chelsea, they already seem to be lining up a replacement. According to Goal, the Blues have identified Leicester City's Wesley Fofana as a potential successor to Rudiger.
At this point, it looks like Thomas Tuchel is going to lose one of his trusted defensive lieutenants. However, it is hard to imagine Rudiger ending up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Again, his wages would probably be a problem for Spurs, while a switch from Chelsea to the north London club is not an upgrade in this moment of time.