Real Madrid News
Real Madrid set to hold talks with 23-year-old star over a new contract – report
Andriy Lunin could not have asked for more heading into the new season. After all, it is not every day that a backup goalkeeper in any team gets minutes under his belt regularly, let alone at a club like Real Madrid.
Thibaut Courtois is quite comfortably placed as the team’s first-choice shot-stopper and there is no displacing him given his rampant form and consistency. Yet, that takes nothing away from the Ukrainian who has been a solid backup since Courtois’ injury.
According to reports from AS, Lunin’s contract with Real Madrid ends in the summer of 2024 and he will have a meeting with the club to decide if he will continue at the Bernabeu or look for new pastures. At the moment, the player is happy with his role in the team and is open to a contract extension.
Yet, at just 23 years of age, Lunin has his best years just around the corner. Surely, he will not like to spend his prime years on the bench, even for a club of Real Madrid’s stature.
He has started five games for Los Blancos so far this season, all of which came after Courtois was diagnosed with sciatica. In his 450 minutes, the youngster has conceded only four goals and kept one clean sheet. Moreover, he has saved 75% of the shots he faced.
With his impressive displays at the highest level, there will certainly be interest in his services from across Europe. It remains to be seen if Lunin pays any interest to the other parties, but he is focused on Real Madrid for now and renewal seems likely too.
The Ukrainian international will start for Real Madrid against Elche later tonight. However, with Courtois’ return imminent, his minutes could soon get slashed down.
There is no way back for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. The Belgian international has not given the management any reason to have faith in his abilities over his past four seasons at the club and is unsurprisingly the most important departure for the Merengues in the summer.
Hazard has one more year on his contract in Madrid. However, it is clear that Carlo Ancelotti does not trust him and that any potential replacement manager in the summer will echo his stance.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Fenerbahce are willing to go all out to sign Hazard this summer. The Turkish side have made the former Chelsea their prime target, yet face a steep task ahead of them.
The 32-year-old is hellbent on seeing out his contract with Los Blancos despite seeing his career sink right before his eyes. It thus becomes complicated for the party to lure away the forward, especially in a competition outside Europe’s top five leagues.
Fenerbahce attempted to sign the winger in the recently concluded winter transfer market. They reached an agreement with Real Madrid but failed to get over the line as they could not convince the player of the move.
The biggest obstacle for the Turkish side will be convincing Hazard to make the move by letting go of his lucrative contract in Madrid. The chances are slim, but not impossible.
Hazard has made just three league appearances and one start for Ancelotti’s side this season in La Liga, a steep fall from last season’s 18 and seven respectively.
His last appearance for the team came back in January when Real Madrid faced Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga however, he last played in September 2022 in a 4-1 win over Mallorca.
