Real Madrid News
Real Madrid believe veteran star will not renew as things stand – report
Real Madrid have some important contract decisions to make on their hands in the coming months as several players like Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Dani Ceballos, Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Mariano Diaz and Nacho Fernandez are set to become free agents in the summer.
The Merengues appear keen on handing new deals to all the names on the list except for Mariano, who is primed to leave as a free agent. However, apart from Benzema, it is still not certain about who all will renew their contracts yet.
Modric appeared coy on the topic before the game against Liverpool, while Kroos has maintained that he is yet to decide. Meanwhile, both Asensio and Ceballos are seeking more prominent roles and could look to move on if no assurances are provided on that front.
As for Nacho, the defender, who continues to prove his worth every chance he gets, gave an update on his future after the Liverpool win, saying:
“Real told me that if I want, I can renew. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet. I felt very bad at the beginning of the season. I will make a personal decision on my future, it’s about my family too.”
Amidst this, Diario AS (h/t Madrid Xtra) has come out with a report stating that Real Madrid believe that Nacho will not renew his contract as things stand.
The 33-year-old has spent his entire career with the Merengues and is one of the very few one-club footballers in modern football.
While he has not always been a certain starter, Nacho has always stood up for the team whenever needed, as was the case against Liverpool on Tuesday night.
In all, the 33-year-old has played 300 matches for the Spanish capital club, of which 25 have come this season, with just 15 coming from the start.
It is understandable that he feels underutilised by Carlo Ancelotti even though he has delivered almost every time he has been called upon.
Hence, the Spaniard could decide to look for a new challenge as he enters the final phase of his career, with clubs in the MLS reportedly interested.
It hasn’t been a good week for Real Madrid, who look all set to relinquish their Spanish league title to arch-rivals Barcelona come the end of the season, following a narrow defeat to the Blaugrana at the weekend.
However, as Real Madrid enter the international break, there is some positive news for Carlo Ancelotti and his men.
As reported by Toni Juanmarti, Barcelona look set to miss out on their two star players in Ousmane Dembele and Pedri due to injury, ahead of the upcoming second-leg semifinal tie against Real Madrid, in Copa Del Rey.
Real Madrid are heading into this game with a 1-0 defeat in the first-leg, meaning they must beat Barça with a two-goal margin in order to book a place in the final. The absence of both Pedri and Dembele, to that end, could be a major boost for Ancelotti.
Pedri, who was expected to return to full fitness for the second leg, has suffered a relapse. It has set his return back to three or four weeks late, meaning the youngster will not return until the April 23 tie against Atletico Madrid.
The situation is not much different for Ousmane Dembele. The explosive attacker is recovering slower than expected and though he was tipped to return in the league game against Real Madrid this month, he remains a major doubt for this Copa Del Rey tie.
However, Barcelona did register a narrow victory over Los Blancos even without these two individuals, so the task is definitely cut out for Ancelotti and his men as they look to exact revenge against the Catalans in Copa Del Rey next month.
