Real Madrid News
Real Madrid full-back expected a new contract offer from club, summer exit possible
According to a report from MARCA, Real Madrid defender Ferland Mendy was expecting a new and improved contract offer from the club, given his status within the team.
The Frenchman arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2019 from Olympique Lyon and gradually replaced Marcelo as the first-choice left-back, becoming an important player for former manager Zinedine Zidane and now under Carlo Ancelotti.
While there has been some criticism about his attacking contributions, Mendy’s solidity and reliability at the back have made him an asset for the Italian tactician.
The French international has been sidelined with an injury since late January, and Los Blancos have struggled to fill the void left by his absence, with Ancelotti calling on David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga and Nacho, albeit to mixed results.
Mendy’s current contract with Real Madrid runs until the summer of 2025. But the left-back was understood to be expecting a new offer from the club as his existing deal does not adequately represent his importance within the side.
However, there has been no movement from the club on this front, with the Merengues focused on resolving the futures of players whose contracts run out this summer.
It has opened up the door for Mendy to potentially leave Real Madrid come the summer transfer window – a possibility that the La Liga champions are not closing their doors on.
In the scenario that the full-back wants to leave, he will not have a shortage of suitors as the report indicates that clubs in the Premier League and Serie A are interested in him.
Real Madrid have already executed the buyback option on Fran Garcia to re-sign him from Rayo Vallecano in a €5 million deal.
Furthermore, there have been recent links to former Barcelona defender Alejandro Grimaldo, who will be a free agent in the summer. He could be seen as an option in case Mendy decides to seek an exit from the Santiago Bernabeu.
It is astounding that despite being the biggest club in Spain, Real Madrid do not have many Spanish players to show for it.
Los Blancos do indeed boast of a special diversity in the dressing room, but their lack of locally trained players could pose problems according to MARCA.
The Spanish outlet confirms that UEFA does not mandate the inclusion of any minimum number of locally grown players for a club. However, the Spanish federation stipulates that a club in Spain must boast of at least eight players who meet a specific set of conditions.
Of the aforementioned eight candidates, there must be at least four players who have spent three seasons or 36 months at the club between the ages of 15 and 21.
Currently, only Nacho Fernandez, Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez, Federico Valverde, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Mariano make up the required number on that front.
The problem, however, arises with the condition for the other four players in the list of eight. RFEF stipulates that the second set of four players must have completed at least 36 months in teams attached to the federation of Spain between the ages of 15 and 21.
Only Jesus Vallejo, Alvaro Odriozola, Marco Asensio and Dani Ceballos tick the aforementioned box. However, all four players have uncertain futures at the club and are well-placed to depart in the summer.
There are thus big decisions to be taken over the transfer strategy for June. Real Madrid can work ways to ship all four players out, it would require the re-integration of players like Sergio Arribas, Miguel Gutierrez or Fran Garcia to ensure the fulfilment of the criteria.
With both Vallejo and Odriozola seemingly frozen out of Ancelotti’s plans, their departures from Santiago Bernabeu appear inevitable. Thus, the management could be forced to renew one of Asensio or Ceballos come June.
