Real Madrid News
Real Madrid have offered renewals to all players with expiring contracts except Mariano
According to a report from Diario AS, Real Madrid had the intention to keep hold of all of the players whose contracts are expiring at the end of the season.
In line with this intention, Real Madrid had offered renewals to all the expiring players with the exception of Mariano Diaz. The fringe forward is set to leave Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season, with several La Liga clubs already interested in his services.
But as far as other players are concerned, they were all offered renewals, including Nacho Fernandez, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema, among others.
Veteran trio Benzema, Modric and Toni Kroos have an oral agreement with the club and will continue at the Bernabeu until 2024. But it appears Nacho, Dani Ceballos and Marco Asensio are the only ones who are considering leaving the club in the coming summer.
Nacho has been one of the longest-serving players in the Real Madrid team. Although his close-aids have suggested him to stay at the club, he is strongly considering a move elsewhere. He wants to experience a new adventure in a foreign country.
Ceballos is another player unlikely to remain at the Bernabeu. The potential arrival of Jude Bellingham, coupled with the presence of various midfield stalwarts in the team should greatly affect his game-time.
Asensio, meanwhile, looks likely to leave as well. The Spaniard wanted a more prominent role in the first team but that is not a possibility at the moment. He will, therefore, see out his contract at Real Madrid until the end of the season before becoming a free agent.
The potential exit of Nacho, Asensio and Ceballos could serve as a major blow for Real Madrid and could force the club to search the market for more reinforcements in the coming summer.
Bernardo Silva was one of Real Madrid’s headline signings last summer. The Portuguese midfielder arrived on a free transfer from Manchester City and appeared destined to become the creative successor to Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the middle of the park.
Indeed, with the club having not signed a new central midfielder, many within Real Madrid saw the veteran star as a solution to the issue.
Manager Jose Mourinho made him a starter from the very beginning in pre-season, but not in his usual role on the right. Instead, he deployed his compatriot as a deep-lying playmaker in the midfield double pivot.
A change in circumstances
Silva failed to have the expected influence when operating in a deeper role in midfield in the chances he got.
Combined with the emergence of Arda Guler and Aurelien Tchouameni’s return to fitness, the Portuguese international has now lost his place in the starting line-up and dropped to the bench.
Bernardo’s situation became particularly striking against Villarreal this past Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu, when he did not play a single minute.
Limited opportunities under Mourinho
Bernardo has played six matches for Real Madrid, starting three and coming on as a substitute in another three.
He did not feature against Villarreal or Elche, while his only appearance in the last three matches was a little over 10 minutes against Atletico Madrid. He was not used regularly by the Portugal national team during the international break either.
Across Real Madrid’s eight La Liga fixtures, Silva has accumulated just 282 minutes of playing time.
The Champions League now presents another opportunity for the former Manchester City captain, who has yet to make his European debut for Real Madrid this season.
He missed the match against Inter Milan because he was still serving a suspension carried over from his time at the Etihad Stadium last season.
It remains to be seen whether Mourinho will give him an opportunity against AS Roma in the coming week.
For now, the midfielder’s reduced playing time suggests that the Portuguese coach has lost some of his faith in a player who arrived with high expectations after leaving Manchester City.
Priyanka Roy
May 29, 2023 at 9:12 am
Asensio, Ceballos and Nacho….. They are and will be valuable and instrumental….. Can’t we get rid of the shit HAZZARD-ous substance…….