Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has insisted that the ongoing sanctions have not influenced his decision to leave the club.
The German has agreed a four-year contract with Real Madrid, and he will officially join them when his Blues deal expires on June 30.
Ahead of his exit, Rudiger has emphasised that there was a chance of him staying with the Blues, and sanctions were never a problem.
He said: “I don’t want to go into deep things. There was a chance but sanctions was not the problem. It’s not only about one side, it’s about both sides.”
Rudiger will earn around €190,000-a-week at Real Madrid. On top of this, he will receive a significant signing-on fee of around €30 million.
He could be the first of many defenders leaving the Blues this summer. Andreas Christensen has agreed a pre-contract with Barcelona already.
Meanwhile, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso are pushing for exits as well. The duo could follow Christensen to the Camp Nou.