Antonio Rudiger admits he spoke to Jose Mourinho over possible Tottenham transfer

Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has admitted he spoke to Jose Mourinho over a possible move to Tottenham Hotspur, and was close to joining Thomas Tuchel at PSG last summer.

The 28-year-old fell out of favour under Frank Lampard, and there were rumours linking him with a departure from Stamford Bridge. He fought to win back his place in the side, and is now a regular in Tuchel's Blues defence.

However, speaking ahead of Chelsea's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid, Rudiger admitted that he came 'close' to leaving the Blues in the summer, amid interest from PSG and Spurs.

"I was close [to leaving]," Rudiger said, via Sky Sports. "There were really like two teams, maybe one team I was considering, that was PSG to be honest.

"There was [a] call also with Mourinho, but this is something at the end of the day that didn't happen, and with Tuchel also, [but it] didn't happen.

"I was upset of course because I knew my situation and wouldn't play that often."

Discussing his sudden absence from the team, Rudiger claimed he 'didn't see it coming', but stressed that he was never asked to leave the club, and one chat with Lampard saw him thrown back into the Chelsea defence.

"I was shocked, shocked is the wrong word, not really shocked. Some things I saw coming, obviously, but then I was not in the squad, and this I didn't see coming; but at the end of the day I took it on the chin," Rudiger said.

"Then I had [a] talk with the ex-coach, with Lampard, and all of a sudden I was back in the team, on the bench. Then I also had a couple of games and I just worked my way back. The last games of his reign I was on the pitch.

"And obviously things are going well for me I'm very happy about it.

"But to be honest, I always felt well in the club. They treated me nice, especially upstairs from the board, nobody told me 'you should leave', neither on the board nor Frank Lampard. The transfer didn't happen, the loans didn't happen, but also no one in the club told me I should leave."

Now that he is a regular at the heart of the Blues' backline, Rudiger has no intention of leaving Stamford Bridge, and is keen to secure a new contract at the club. He has admitted though, that the decision is not up to him, but Chelsea will always remain 'priority number one'.

"Even at the beginning of the season when things didn't go my way, I was always calm, like I am now. At the end of the day, I cannot give myself a contract. So that's why I have to wait to see what happens," he added.

"Whatever happens I love being at Chelsea, so Chelsea will always be my priority number one.

"Everyone, me and the club know how much I like this club, so it's down to the people who make these types of decisions. At the moment for me, it's to concentrate on important matches and targets. The rest, I think I'm sure we will resolve it."