Real Madrid News
Real Madrid veteran tipped to stay at club by ex-star: “His wish is to renew”
Real Madrid are in for a busy summer ahead. While the club are expected to undergo a massive squad overhaul, they are also facing pressure to renew the contracts of some of the most established players in the squad.
Luka Modric is among the list of veterans, who have their contracts expiring at the end of the season. At the age of 37, there has understandably been a layer of uncertainty over his future at Santiago Bernabeu, especially amid interest from Saudi Arabian entities.
The Saudi league has reportedly offered Modric the opportunity to join any club of his choice in the Middle East nation, with a two-and-a-half-year contract worth €40 million per season.
But in a recent media interaction, Predrag Mijatovic, former Real Madrid player and close friend of Modric, has backed the veteran Croat to continue at Santiago Bernabeu.
“When Luka Modric is well, Real Madrid plays much better. His wish is to renew one more year,” said Mijatovic (h/t El Larguero), who played for Real Madrid from 1996 to 1999, featuring in 118 competitive matches for the club.
Mijatovic’s comments confirm recent reports suggesting how Modric is leaning towards a prolonged stay at Bernabeu. It appears the ageing midfielder has no desire to accept the lucrative terms coming from Saudi Arabia just yet.
The former Tottenham star is confident of his abilities to continue at the highest level for at least another year before he can the next and final step in his career.
Since joining Real Madrid in 2012, Modric has featured in 462 competitive matches, racking up 36 goals and 74 assists. His contributions have been crucial to the club’s success over the past decade. Whether or not the midfielder is now willing to extend his stay for a further year remains to be seen.
Real Madrid News
Ancelotti talks Mendy, Vinicius, Gavi, Tobias, Brazil job ahead of Real Madrid vs Valladolid
Real Madrid will be gunning to bounce back to winning ways when they lock horns with Real Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday afternoon.
Los Blancos were on the receiving end of a 2-1 defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Barcelona the last time they were in action. The result meant that Carlo Ancelotti’s side have now fallen 12 points behind the Catalans in the La Liga title race.
The gap could widen to 15 points given that Barcelona are playing bottom-placed Elche later tonight. So, it becomes imperative for Real Madrid to make sure that there are no more slip-ups if they are to have any hope of pulling off a comeback in the title race.
Ahead of the game at the Bernabeu on Sunday, manager Ancelotti addressed the media, and discussed Ferland Mendy’s fitness situation as well his future amid links to the Brazil national team, among various other things.
On the state of the squad: “We are fine. The internationals are in good shape. We were unlucky to have Mendy injured but we are ready.”
On the speculations about his future and links to replacements: “I’m not surprised that there are these rumours. It doesn’t affect me, it doesn’t worry me. I’m just focused on fulfilling my duties with this club and with this team.
“I’m still here until Real Madrid allow me to stay here. I’m very well and I feel the affection of the president, the fans and the players. We have two months ahead of us and then hopefully we can continue.”
On others’ opinions on the job he is doing: “Everyone can say what they want. I know I have a contract and I want to fulfil it. I don’t know what might happen in the future.”
On the Brazil national team rumours: “The reality is that the Brazilian national team wants me and I love it and I’m very excited about it, but then I have to respect the contract I have and I want to fulfil it.”
On whether he will retire after the Real Madrid job: “No. I’m not thinking about it now.”
On the contract renewals: “The atmosphere at the moment is very calm and very focused on what we have to do. What is being talked about in the press is an outside issue. We hear it but it’s not an issue that worries us. The players know very well what they have to do.”
On whether Vinicius would be treated differently if he played for another club: “If my grandfather had wheels, he would be a cart. There have been problems with Vinicius, Gavi, we must respect the players.”
On Vinicius Tobias: “He is progressing very well and like the rest of the Castilla players we will have to talk about his future when the season is over.”
On injuries: “We have the same problems as in other teams. Mendy has not had a good season. We will replace him well as we did when he was out.”
On Brazil Federation president Ednaldo Rodrigues: “If he wants to talk to me I would love to meet and greet him.”
On Barcelona getting an extra day’s rest ahead of Copa semi-final: “I’m not surprised, it doesn’t bother me. They have an extra day but we have time to recover and there is no problem.”
Source: Real Madrid Twitter
