Liverpool and Chelsea fighting over AS Roma’s £7m-rated centre-half

Liverpool are reportedly ready to rival Chelsea in a bid to land Germany international defender Antonio Rudiger this summer, according to CalcioMercatoWeb (via the Daily Star on Sunday).

The Premier League side, who defeated Villarreal 3-0 in midweek at Anfield to reach the 2016 Europa League final in Basel, Switzerland later this month, are interested in signing the Stuttgart centre-half once the current 2015/16 campaign has drawn to a close.

The 23-year-old, who has nine international caps for his country and is set to feature in Germany’s Euro 2016 squad later this year in France, has scored two goals in 36 appearances in all competitions whilst on loan at Serie A outfit AS Roma so far this season.

Rudiger, who made his international debut against Poland back in May 2014, is also wanted by Premier League rivals Chelsea ahead of incoming boss Antonio Conte’s arrival at Stamford Bridge.

However the report suggests that Roma have a compulsory purchase option worth £7m over the centre-half this summer, meaning the Italian club could look to cash in instantly on Rudiger’s services given the Reds and Blues’ interest.