Chelsea told not to think twice about matching record-breaking offers

Former Premier League midfielder Emmanuel Petit has urged Chelsea to give in to Antonio Rudiger's wage demands.

The German defender, 28, is out of contract in June and Petit believes his former club should offer him a bumper new salary.

Rudiger has been in superb form since Thomas Tuchel was appointed Chelsea manager in January, rarely missing a game under his compatriot.

His performances have seen him linked with several top clubs from across Europe, including Bayern Munich, Juventus and Tottenham.

Bayern have reportedly offered to double his Chelsea salary - and he could even earn as much as £400,000-a-week at his next club, as exclusively revealed by Mirror Football in September.

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And Petit, who played for both Arsenal and Chelsea during his time in England, believes the European champions will struggle to replace Rudiger.

"If he leaves, it would be a real pity for Chelsea," Petit told bookmakers.co.uk. "If I remember correctly before Tuchel came in he was on the bench and wasn't playing.

"Now he looks like one of the best defenders around. He could leave on a free and Chelsea would have to spend a minimum of £30m to find a new defender of his level.

"And there's never a guarantee a buy will work out. If he asks for two more years, just give him the money."

Rudiger has missed just one Premier League game this term, helping Chelsea storm to a three-point lead at the top of the table.

The next few weeks could define the Blues' title hopes, with fixtures against Leicester, Manchester United and West Ham coming up.

Rudiger will be desperate to win the Premier League this season after previously lifting the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup at Chelsea.

Discussing the defender's qualities, World Cup winner Petit added: "This guy is a survivor. Since Tuchel has been the manager he's been one of the top defenders in world football.

"He reminds me of the crazy defenders I used to play with back in the day like Martin Keown.

"Those types of guys were always really tough on other players, and playing against them was both a physical and mental battle because they could make you feel bad on the pitch.

"I think Rudiger is similar and it must be very tough to be on the pitch with him because you can disappear very quickly.

"He always plays the ball but he also plays the players and strikers know that and it can be intimidating.

"Sometimes he tries to destroy strikers - and I don't really like that side of his game. But for me, the priority of a defender is to scare strikers.

"People might not understand that but it's true, you have to scare them to try and stop them from scoring goals. For me, Rudiger is one of the hardest defenders in the world."