Antonio Rudiger says he decided to leave Chelsea at the end of the season because the London club went months without speaking to him about a new contract.

The German international defender is set to join Real Madrid in the summer having been unable to come to terms on a deal to prolong his stay at Stamford Bridge.

“Unfortunately, my contract negotiations had already started to get difficult last fall,” the centre-back said in a farewell interview. “Business is business, but when you don’t hear any news from the club from August to January, the situation becomes complicated. After the first offer, there was a long gap of just nothing.

“We’re not robots, you know? You cannot wait for months with so much uncertainty about your future. Obviously, no one saw the sanctions coming, but in the end, other big clubs were showing interest, and I had to make a decision. I will leave it at that, because business aside, I have nothing bad to say about this club.”

Rudiger will depart after five years at Stamford Bridge.

He won five trophies with Chelsea which includes; One Champions League, One FA Cup, One Europa League, One Super Cup and One FIFA Club World Cup.