Real Madrid 24-year-old star in contention to take over Kroos’ No. 8 shirt | OneFootball

With Toni Kroos set to retire this summer, the No. 8 jersey will become vacant at Real Madrid.

All the early signs point towards fellow midfielder Federico Valverde, who has always idolised the German legend, taking the iconic No. 8 shirt from next season at the club.

In fact, some Real Madrid stars hinted at Valverde getting the No. 8 after Kroos announced his retirement earlier this week.

Another contender appears

However, as per AS, another Real Madrid midfielder, Aurelien Tchouameni, could also be in contention to become the club’s next No. 8 after Kroos.

It must be noted that Tchouameni, 24, used to wear the No. 8 shirt at his previous club, AS Monaco, for two seasons before arriving at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Who will be Real Madrid’s next No. 8? (Photo by THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images)

One of the reasons that the French international took the No. 18 shirt with Los Blancos was because the No. 8 was unavailable.

Now that Kroos is stepping away, the jersey will be up for grabs and Tchouameni could be an option to succeed him.

However, as things stand, Valverde appears the most likely to inherit the shirt from Kroos given his seniority in the team and his standing as one of the club’s most important players.

Valverde has worn the No. 15 shirt throughout his Real Madrid senior career and a move to the No. 8 could certainly be on the cards for the midfielder who also aspires to become the captain in the future.