Benzema, Kroos, Modric or Asensio. Real Madrid addresses expiring contracts of several stars

Real Madrid is going without any major problems this season, but the management has to think about next year. Several stars are out of contract in June and president Florentino Pérez has to think about how he wants to build the squad for next season.

In addition to the less busy players like Mariano Diaz and Dani Ceballos, there are Marco Asensio and Nacho, and three big stars.

Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. On the face of it, there’s not much to go on. All three stars, despite their advanced age, are putting in great performances and there shouldn’t be a problem with the contract. It’s just that each of them has their own story to tell.

Contracts for a year

President Florentino Pérez doesn’t give players over 33 contracts longer than 1 year. He has a policy that a player must earn a contract with his performances in a given season and then he gets a contract for another year. He is afraid that older players will experience a drop in performance and Real will then have to pay them an expensive contract, even if they are no longer playing in the starting line-up.

Pérez doesn’t back down from this policy even with the biggest stars. The schism occurred just last year with captain Sergio Ramos, who thought he had the status and deserved a two-year contract for his services to give his family peace of mind and security for longer.

But Pérez was adamant and only offered the 35-year-old stopper a one-year contract with an option for another year if the club was happy with his performances. Ramos did not agree to that, however, and eventually left for PSG, where he was given a multi-year contract.

In Karim Benzema’s case, there should be no major problem. The French striker has never had problems in contract negotiations, you’ve heard virtually no negotiations in his 13 and a half years at Madrid. Moreover, he himself has said that he doesn’t want to hinder the club and when he feels he is no longer up to the highest level, he will leave.

It’s just that the current Ballon d’Or winner might be yearning for more certainty at the moment, especially with Real’s youngster Endrick arriving in 2024 and talk of interest in Erling Haaland.

Modric and Kroos

But he’s already 35 years old and Pérez is adamant on this point. Even so, there shouldn’t be a big problem. It’s the same situation with Luka Modric.

The phenomenal midfielder will be 38 years old in August, yet he is still performing like a promising youngster. The Croatian has received million-dollar offers from the US and Saudi Arabia, but he has let it be known that he wants to end his career at Real Madrid and has no other club in mind.

He already signed a one-year contract before the season, so he will have no problem re-signing for one season.

The third star, however, is another nut to crack. Toni Kroos has been performing the best of the last 5 seasons this season, he is in great form and he is the youngest of the three (he will be 33 in two days). Real want to do everything to extend the German, but there is a problem on the other side.

Kroos has let it be known before that he doesn’t want to prolong his career indefinitely, but would like to finish on top. He has indicated 32-33 years as his final age. And it is on 4 January that he will reach the age of Christ.

Moreover, there are reports from behind the scenes that the management is worried that Kroos has decided to call it a career in the summer. This is also why the club’s interest in Jud Bellingham is suddenly so hot.

Nacho and others

For Mariano Diaz, there is no doubt that he will leave the club in the summer. He is virtually out of work and Real have no interest in extending him. Marco Asensio is very much on the edge, as he would like to have a bigger workload, but the club is counting on him more as a rotation player. If he accepts this role, he will probably get a new contract.

Nacho Fernandez is a question mark. The big-hearted and offspring has never played for another club, and it seemed like he would stay that way his whole career. However, speculations have started to emerge that he would also like to play more stable at the end of his career, as he doesn’t get much space after Rüdiger’s arrival.

The situation with Dani Ceballos is also uncertain. The skilful midfielder has proven to be a quality player for the rotation, but if Kroos and Modric stay and the aforementioned Bellingham comes in, Ceballos’ playing time would be reduced to a minimum. Ancelotti, however, is happy with his performances and would like to keep him.

Source: Transfermarkt