Stuttgart Defender Antonio Rudiger Prefers a Move to Arsenal Over Chelsea

Chelsea target Antonio Rudiger, who currently plays for Stuttgart, has revealed that he prefers a move to London rivals Arsenal instead of the Blues.

The German defender has garnered a lot of attention since he broke into the Bundesliga side's first-team and Chelsea have reportedly kept tabs on him since the summer.

Apart from Chelsea, West Ham United and Monaco have also shown interest in the defender, but the club were unwilling to sell him at that time.

The player has now revealed that he has 'always dreamed' of playing in the Premier League, which gives hope to the clubs from England pursuing him.

However, he admits that he favours a move to Arsenal over any other club as he has been following the club for many years. Arsene Wenger will be keen to hear this endorsement from a young talented defender, who has already been capped by the senior Germany team this year.

"I have always dreamed of the Premier League," Rudiger said, as quoted by the Express.

"I have been following Arsenal since the days of Henry and Bergkamp. I watch videos of Arsenal all the time on YouTube and I often wear the current Alexis Sanchez shirt."

"My heart beats for Arsenal," the German international added.

This will give the north London side an advantage over any of their rivals to sign Rudiger from Stuttgart and with Arsenal's current defensive problems, the Frenchman could be interested in a move as early as January. The 21-year-old defender could be prized away from the Bundesliga club for a fee of around £7m.

Moreover, the manager Armin Veh has now revealed that the Bundesliga club will be willing to sell him only if a big club came calling, that opens the door for the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea.

"Antonio is under contract until June 2017 with us. But the thing is, how much longer can we keep hold of such a player?" Veh said, as quoted on talkSPORT.

"I understand that there are big clubs chasing him but a move will only be considered for Antonio if he joins a really big outfit. Otherwise, it would be better for him to stay at our club," the Stuttgart boss explained.