Chelsea are determined to have Antonio Rudiger fit and ready for their clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers in September.
According to a report from The Daily Mail, the Blues have earmarked the Premier League fixture as the target return date for the German, who underwent knee surgery towards the back-end of last season.
Rudiger had a solid campaign in central defence and established himself as a key player under Maurizio Sarri.
However, his chances of impressing new boss Frank Lampard will have to wait until a short while into the season, it seems, with a return before the first international break unlikely.
Chelsea are, as per the report, hopeful that Rudiger will be in contention to face Wolves at Molineux. But if he is unsuccessful in his efforts to recover in time, they are happy to reintegrate him in the following game against Liverpool.
The Daily Mail claims that Lampard has already had talks with the centre-back to reiterate how important he will be to his plans going forward at Stamford Bridge.
