The good progress of Real Madrid, with the League practically in its pocket, and in the semifinals of the Champions League, is having an unexpected effect on the programming for next season. If Ancelotti’s team wins the double, it is not ruled out that there will continue to be players who a few months ago seemed to have their future outside the club. This is the case of the oldest of all, Luka Modric, now 38 years old and whose contract ends in June since it was renewed a year ago. Kroos, Lunin, Lucas Vázquez, Nacho and Mendy could also extend their contracts.
The case of the Croatian, the only Ballon d’Or winner in the squad, is the thorniest of all. Never in recent times has Madrid renewed a player of that age. In September he turns 39 and he is excited to continue. This season he has experienced unprecedented situations in his long career (with the current eleven seasons in white), such as being a substitute, something that he does not handle very well as Ancelotti has recognized these days. If he continues for a season he would be the oldest footballer in the club’s history. Until now, that ranking is led by Ferenc Puskas, who came to play at the age of 39 years and 36 days.
The strangest situation is that of Toni Kroos. The player is 34 years old and Madrid is crazy about renewing him but the German is dragging his feet. The club did not like the fact that he has announced his return to the German team for this summer’s Euro Cup and, on the other hand, continues without commenting on his renewal. They explain it by assuring that the German always goes on his own, they say that it is not advisable to harass him and they are convinced that he will end up agreeing to continue for another year.
One of the strangest cases is that of Andriy Lunin. When Madrid signed Kepa because they didn’t like the Ukrainian’s performance at the beginning of the season, nobody gave a cent about his continuity. However, Kepa’s injury on November 10 allowed Lunin to show his quality and he has taken over the title indisputably. Madrid offered him a renewal last week but he still has no response. Lunin, known in the locker room for his dry and taciturn character, assesses whether now that he has a good poster he should continue in the shadow of Courtois or look for minutes in another big club.
The situation of Nacho and Lucas Vázquez is quite similar. Both of their contracts expire in June and both have doubts about their continuity. The 34-year-old captain now seems more inclined to go out in search of a more financially juicy contract. Last year he already had many doubts about whether to continue or not. In favor of his departure is that he does not see himself as a starter. When Alaba has been injured, Ancelotti has often preferred to play with Tchouaméni as a central defender rather than using the youth squad. But Nacho also really likes being able to hang up his boots at the club where he has spent his entire career. There are only four ‘one man clubs’ in the history of Madrid: Zárraga, Camacho, Chendo and Sanchís Jr. Nacho Fernández would be the fifth.
Lucas Vázquez, 32, is another who also has offers every summer. He is the man of the day for his match against Barcelona and seems comfortable with his role as a catalyst. The Bernabéu chanted his renewal during the classic and after the match Bellingham dedicated a significant tweet to him: “You are a fucking legend.”
The case of Ferland Mendy is the only one in which there seems to be discrepancies between Ancelotti and the club. The French full-back’s contract ends in June 2025. The coach considers him the best in the world defensively but the club does not seem to convince him too much, especially after last season in which he was injured for a long time.
This summer Madrid already signed Fran García from Rayo, who has finished as a substitute. For the summer, Florentino Pérez believes he has agreed on Alphonso Davies, 23, who is ending his contract at Bayern and would come at zero cost, an operation similar to that of Rüdiger.
The only player who seems certain that his door is open to the current squad is Dani Ceballos, 27 years old. Although he has a contract until 2027, his contribution to the team has been residual, with only 503 minutes spread over 21 games. The club will look for a transfer for him. A more complex case is that of Arda Güler. He has barely played due to his injuries (98 minutes in seven games). At 19 years old, Madrid could look for a loan for him to give him more minutes because they consider him a player with enormous potential, but the Turk is not very up for the job and prefers to stay. Ancelotti always says that his time will come, but games go by and Güler never ends up coming off the bench.
