Rudiger to cover three months of catering costs for nurses at Berlin hospital where he was born

Antonio Rudiger has agreed to cover three months of costs for catering for the nurses in the Berlin Charité hospital in Berlin where he was born in 1993.

The Germany international has chosen to make a substantial donation to support his home country amid the coronavirus outbreak, which is impacting most countries worldwide.

Germany is one of the worst affected countries in Europe having had 147,103 cases and 4,856 deaths but they are beginning to ease off their lockdown restrictions as they flatten the curve on new cases.

The 27-year-old has shown his social responsibility previously in the past in the fight against racism. Now he is hoping to make a difference with his £100,000-a-week salary.

It is on top of donations made by Rudiger and all other Premier League players to the #PlayersTogether charity, after Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson got an agreement with Blues skipper Cesar Azpilicueta to involve Chelsea's players in the scheme to help support NHS frontline workers.

"My biggest wish right now is that today's new infection numbers are again lower than yesterday's. But not that the Premier League immediately resumes," Rudiger told kicker in March. "Football has no priority right now. It's only about slowing down the spread of the virus."

Chelsea are now negotiating pay cuts for their players with Azpilicueta in discussions with the club over a 10 per cent decrease in their salaries.

The talks have yet to conclude but it is felt that there will be a resolution soon with Frank Lampard and his coaching staff set for a 25% cut to ease financial pressure on the club with income streams being disrupted by the public health crisis.

The Blues continue to pay their non-playing staff who are working from home wherever possible and matchday staff have been assured April's wage in full despite the club having not played since 8 March. They are one of only four clubs in the Premier League which are accredited by the Living Wage Foundation.

So far, Chelsea have offered their car park and hotels on-site at Stamford Bridge for National Health Service (NHS) staff. The squad have given a sizable donation to the Chelsea Foundation which is helping children, the elderly and the vulnerable through online work with social distancing in effect in the UK.

The latest announcement from the club was their partnership with domestic abuse charity Refuge, which is expecting to see a rise in cases with people being forced to stay in their homes.

This is on top of work done with Chelsea's charity partner Plan International, who are helping provide food, essential hygiene kits, access to clean water, vital public health information, as well as learning materials and support to keep children safe.

The Premier League remains on hiatus, with matches last played in mid-March and fears growing that the 2019-20 season will not be able to be completed. Clubs and league authorities met on Friday, though, and reiterated their desire to finish the season.

"It remains our objective to complete the 2019/20 season but at this stage all dates are tentative while the impact of Covid-19 develops," an FA spokesman said.