Luka Modric remains evergreen for Real Madrid as he prepares to drive the club forward in the run-in.
The Croatia international has already broken club records this season as their oldest appearance maker and goal scorer as he continues to play his part.
Talks are ongoing over another one-year renewal in the Spanish capital with Modric poised to turn 40 in September.
The club are open to keeping him in Madrid, albeit with another wage cut, with rumoured offers on the table from Saudi Arabia and MLS.
Modric’s goal remains to lead Croatia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and staying in the Spanish capital gives him the best chance to do that.
However, with Modric coming to the end of his career, Los Blancos fans are speculating over who could be his long term successor in the Real Madrid engine room.
Arda Guler was mooted as a possible option, since his eye-catching arrival from Fenerbahce in July 2023, but his promise remains unfulfilled.
Injuries have played a part in his lack of game time but Carlo Ancelotti appears reluctant to utilise him to gain the experience he lacks.
The latest frustration came in Real Madrid’s 2-1 weekend La Liga win at Villarreal following a bust up with Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe was unhappy that Guler opted to shoot instead of teeing him up for a hat trick goal late on and the Turkey international was slammed in the post-game reaction.
Cadena SER journalist and commentator Antonio Romero bluntly rejected the idea of Guler filling Modric’s boots as he dismissed the 20-year-old’s role in Madrid.
“This guy has been misleading from the start. A lot of highlights, a lot of training, it’s just that – he’s very ‘viral’… Playing football matches is something else,” he said.
“Modric retired, with a tomato garden in Croatia and seventy grandchildren… he will still be better than Guler!”
