Real Madrid News
Real Madrid defender next in line for contract extension until 2027 after Vinicius, Rodrygo
It has been an eventful week at Real Madrid. Following their 2-1 win over Barcelona in the first El Clasico last Saturday, the Merengues saw Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. pick up the Kopa Trophy and the Socrates Award, respectively, at the Ballon d’Or Gala on Monday.
A day later, Real Madrid announced the new contract signing of Vinicius, with the Brazilian committing his future to the club until the summer of 2027.
It was followed by the announcement of Rodrygo Goes’ renewal earlier today, with the 22-year-old forward signing a new deal until 2028.
Eder Militao next in line
Following the announcements of the new contracts for both Vinicius and Rodrygo, their compatriot Eder Militao will be next to sign an extension, reports Mario Cortegana of The Athletic.
The 25-year-old has been at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2019, having arrived from FC Porto and has grown into a key part of the team in the Spanish capital.
Militao’s current contract with the Merengues runs until the summer of 2025, which he had signed upon his arrival.
As such, the Brazilian international is due an improved contract reflecting his current status in the Real Madrid setup.
Currently out with an ACL injury, Militao could return towards the end of the season although it appears that the club will announce his contract extension well before that.
As per the report, the 25-year-old centre-back had agreed to his renewal last summer itself and will be prolonging his stay with Los Blancos until 2027.
Camavinga, Valverde to follow suit
The series of renewals will not stop with Militao, as Real Madrid will also extend the contracts of midfield duo Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga.
Both have grown into pivotal members of the team under Ancelotti and are seen as the present and the future of the team.
As such, it does not come as a surprise to see Real Madrid wanting to offer them improved terms and secure their long-term futures at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid’s main goal heading into the summer transfer window was to wrap up the signing of Jude Bellingham amid massive interest from Premier League giants such as Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea.
Pep Guardiola’s City, especially, were ready to match and increase any salary Madrid offered, and were going strongly into the bidding war.
Eventually, Bellingham decided to join Madrid after they reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund for €3 million.
However, following this, los blancos had to improvise a fair bit as Karim Benzema decided to leave the club to join Al-Ittihad on a free transfer. They were expecting him to continue for another season, at least, and it stumped their plans in the market.
In the next few weeks, Madrid chased forwards, and ended up signing Joselu, Brahim Diaz, and a certain Arda Guler, who was close to Barcelona before eventually ending up at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Unfortunately for Madrid, he is yet to play a single minute for the club after picking up a serious injury in pre-season. Despite being on the bench for a couple of games, Guler suffered a relapse in training, and was sidelined again.
Now, reports from Yagiz Sabuncuoglu say that the Turkish international is close to returning to team training.
Guler has slowly, but surely, been recovering from his injury, and could take to the pitch for his first minutes with the club in the next few weeks as Madrid look for solutions after a month full of injuries.
With Vinicius Jr, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eder Militao, and Thibaut Courtois all out until early 2024, Madrid have relied on Castilla for reinforcements, but could do with Guler’s services in their forward line.
That said, Carlo Ancelotti and co. are expected to be extremely cautious when it comes to the Turkish international. The slightest spell of poor man-management here could make or break the youngster’s career.
