Real Madrid News
Real Madrid superstar will sign a contract renewal until 2024
With the summer transfer window only a few months away, Real Madrid will have to start addressing the contract situations of several important players whose current deals expire in June.
Toni Kroos and Nacho Fernandez are expected to make a decision on whether they sign a new deal or not in the coming weeks, while Luka Modric is quite relaxed about the situation.
Dani Ceballos and Marco Asensio could be handed new deals, although their continuity would likely depend on the roles they are offered in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans. Meanwhile, Mariano Diaz is certain to leave as a free agent.
That leaves Karim Benzema as the final player on the list of Real Madrid stars whose contracts expire in the summer. And, according to MARCA, the Merengues’ captain will sign a new deal with the club until the summer of 2024.
The 35-year-old hitman enjoyed a spectacular 2021/22 campaign which led to him winning the Ballon d’Or last year. However, injuries have threatened to play spoilsport in his current season, with the striker missing a good chunk of matches for Los Blancos.
Despite that, Benzema, when fit, has been invaluable for Real Madrid, as was evident in their recent 5-2 trouncing of Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.
In 24 matches this term, the Frenchman has netted 18 goals and set up five more. When he scored against Liverpool on Tuesday, he became the first-ever Real Madrid player to score a goal in as many as six competitions in a single season.
On top of that, Benzema also became the only player along with Lionel Messi to find the back of the net in 18 consecutive seasons in the UEFA Champions League.
It is pretty clear that despite his advancing age and recent fitness issues, Benzema continues to stand out as a top player and remains key for Real Madrid.
So, a new contract for one more year would be the right way to go about things for the Spanish giants. And, as per the report, Benzema is likely to renew until the summer of 2024 initially.
With plans to rope in a backup for him in the summer, it could Benzema stay at Real Madrid beyond next year as well.
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.
