Luka Modric has, once again, vehemently retorted against the suggestion that he could move to Saudi Arabia in the summer.
Modric, 37, will be out of a contract at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer after the one-year extension he signed in the summer of 2022 runs out. Interested clubs are already preparing for a summer bid and the reports indicate that a few have made contact.
Al-Nassr is leading the line according to the media. The Saudi Pro League club are looking to recreate Real Madrid in the Middle East and have their sights set on the players who gave Los Blancos their glory era in the past decade and half.
Having already acquired Cristiano Ronaldo, they are set to be interested in Sergio Ramos, Benzema, Modric and a few other players. Modric, however, is refusing to enter into discussions with the Riyadh-based team or with any of the other interested teams as his wish is to retire at Real Madrid in front of the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu, who gave him his career.
The Croatia national team captain was on the brink of an outburst when the question of his future was posed to him while on international duty with the team for the 2024 UEFA Euro Championship qualifiers.
The former Tottenham Hotspur man said, “My wish is known, to stay at Real Madrid. I believe and hope it will happen. The rest are only assumptions and rumours. I repeat for the 100th time, I hope and believe I will stay at Real Madrid.”
Los Blancos, on the other hand, alhave not made any moves to assure the five-time UEFA Champions League winner that he will be counted on next season.
Instead, they have their eyes set on Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Jude Bellingham, and have reportedly earmarked a transfer war chest that is worth north of £100 million to pry the 19-year-old away from Germany and beat out the competition from England.
Modric and his midfield partner Toni Kroos both have expiring contracts but unlike Karim Benzema, the club is not in a hurry to renew them for another season.
This is because both players already have long term replacements in Aurelien Tchouameni and the versatile Eduardo Camavinga as well as Dani Ceballos. Both men have also not played every game this season and have seen the matchday squad bench more times than they have in their last few seasons at the club, thanks to manager Carlo Ancelotti’s decisions to play the youngsters often.
The season is not yet over, however, and things could change in the coming weeks. It remains to be seen what Modric’s entourage can do regarding their player’s hopes to finish his career in Spain.
Modric also gave a short and straightforward answer when asked if he will have to retire from international duty to save his Madrid future.
“No,” he said.
