Will Luka Modrić (37) remain in the ranks of Real Madrid next season or is it time to say goodbye? Spanish media close to Real's leaders claim that if Modrić wants to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu, he must agree to conditions that do not suit him at all, reports TPortal.
Luka Modrić has played 470 games for Real Madrid since 2012. Modrić has won everything there was to win, he is the leader of one of Real's most successful generations, but the years have taken their toll.
The Spanish media are now claiming that there has been a deadlock in the negotiations regarding the new contract, and it's all the fault of Real's leaders, who set Modrić conditions that the captain of the Croatian national team will certainly not agree to.
Namely, Real has not yet officially offered Luka Modrić a new contract. Nominally, everything was agreed earlier, Modrić would sign for one more season (2023/2024), and then he would either retire or go to the American MLS league, depending on his physical condition.
However, the situation became more complicated after Modrić's form dropped drastically after returning from the World Cup in Qatar, where he led Croatia to third place. It is clear to everyone that the extra efforts left their mark on the veteran, and because of this, Real's game suffered in the end.
And here we come to the biggest problem, because the leaders of Real decided to give Luka Modrić an ultimatum, but in fact they knew in advance that he would not accept it.
Spanish media claim that it was explained to Modrić that he will get a new one-year contract only if he retires from playing for the Croatian national team! And that at the very moment when the captain had announced that he will certainly play the final of the Nations League and the qualification for placement at the European Championship in 2024! It must have been a shock for the Croatian captain, who did not expect such a move.
“I haven't talked to the club yet about extending the contract, but I'm calm. I will do everything I can to give the maximum and to deserve to stay here. I have to talk to the leaders and I want to continue, but I want to earn it, not be given it. Nothing can change my relationship with Madrid, it is the club of my life and no one can stop it,' Modrić said two weeks ago.
Asking Modrić to stop playing for the Croatian national team as a condition for a new one-year contract would seem to signal the end of his career at the Spanish club. If this really is a condition, then we expect that Modrić would find another club just to be able to continue playing for his beloved Croatia.
