As a free agent in the summer, German defender Antonio Rudiger's future at Chelsea is uncertain following the British Government's sanctions on the club.

Despite the fact that numerous major teams, notably Bayern Munich, have been linked with a bid for the flashy defender, interest from one of Chelsea's biggest rivals looks to be piqued.

At this point, it's rumored that Manchester United would be interested in signing the Chelsea fan favorite at some point this year.

To be sure, even though Rudiger will be a free agency at the end of the season, signing him will not be easy, and while Chelsea confront their own uncertainties, the same can be said for Manchester United.

United are currently in the process of hiring a permanent manager to replace interim manager Ralf Rangnick, and they hope to have a new manager in place before the start of the next season.

There has been a recent rumor from a German journalist, Christian Falk, stating that Rudiger is interested in transferring to Manchester, but only after speaking directly with the next manager at Old Trafford.

According to the Manchester Evening News, United are interested in hiring Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, Paris-Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino, and Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui as their next manager.