Romelu Lukaku Inter ChelseaGetty/Goal

'He's a beast' - Rudiger lauds Lukaku's talent ahead of £98m Chelsea transfer

Antonio Rudiger has declared his admiration for Chelsea's imminent £98 million ($136m) arrival Romelu Lukaku ahead of the UEFA Super Cup with Villarreal.

The club-record transfer threatens to overshadow the annual European showcase match that pits the Champions League winners against the Europa League champions.

The 28-year-old striker's transfer will soon be officially announced after he had his medical in Milan before flying in to complete the deal.

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What did Rudiger say?

"You can see in his body type that he is a beast," Rudiger said in Belfast. "He's someone who is very strong and I think also he showed it in Italy over the past two years. He did very well over there. Also for his national team. He's a goalscorer and for me a top striker.

"I cannot talk about someone who is not a Chelsea player because I don't know anything," he added. "I think I said everything about him about his strengths and that he is a top class striker who loves to score goals."

Will Rudiger stay at Chelsea?

Having almost left west London last summer, Rudiger again has some uncertainty around his future despite arguably being Chelsea's star defender since Thomas Tuchel arrived.

That's because, along with Andreas Christensen, he has less than 12 months to run on his current contract. The Germany international says that talks over a new deal are ongoing but that he has nothing yet to announce.

"I said before that I wanted to concentrate on the Euros and when I come back, talks can start. That’s what has happened," he added. "Talks have begun so we will see what time brings."

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