Antonio Rudiger Set to Leave Chelsea & Omitted From Carabao Cup Squad to Play Barnsley

Antonio Rudiger's Chelsea days look numbered after the defender was left out the matchday squad for the second successive fixture.

SHOP CHELSEA: Get the official 2020-21 gear straight from the source!

The German was nowhere to be seen as Chelsea fell to a 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool - a game in which fellow central defender Andreas Christensen was sent off - with the same fate befalling Rudiger once more.

Frank Lampard's side host Barnsley in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, but the defender is, again, nowhere to be seen.

It's a decision that is thought to be the final straw for the 27-year-old's part in the Blues' 2020/21 season, with the Daily Mail insisting he is now 'on the brink' of leaving Stamford Bridge on loan. So far, it's Paris Saint-Germain who are looking the likely outcome, and what would be a season-long switch.

With two years left on his deal and no extension mooted, any 12-month loan would see Rudiger return to west London with just one year left to run on his contract - a situation Chelsea would rather avoid but are obviously fully aware could arise.

Rudiger - along with all the defenders at the club - came under huge criticism last season in a Blues side that struggled to forge any notion of defensive stability. Conceding 54 goals in the Premier League last season, Lampard has since brought in Thiago Silva in a bid to strengthen the back line.

Ben Chilwell has also come in to ensure Marcos Alonso is nowhere near the starting lineup, although the decision to move Rudiger on, above other defenders, may come as a small shock. By far the most experienced of the Chelsea centre-halves, Rudiger is also a full German international and has made close to 300 club appearances to date.

For more from Ross Kennerley, follow him on Twitter!