Real Madrid veteran stops renewal negotiations, unhappy with current role | OneFootball

Icon: Madrid Universal

Madrid Universal

·2 December 2022

Real Madrid veteran stops renewal negotiations, unhappy with current role

Article image:Real Madrid veteran stops renewal negotiations, unhappy with current role

Real Madrid have several players in their squad whose contracts will expire at the end of the ongoing campaign.

While the likes of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema are expected to be renewed by another year, Mariano Diaz and possibly Dani Ceballos could be allowed to leave. Marco Asensio, too, could earn a new contract after recent performances.


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However, one player who the club wants to renew, but is showing hesitations at the moment is veteran defender Nacho Fernandez.

Indeed, according to MARCA, the 32-year-old cantera has stopped renewal negotiations with the club as he is currently unhappy with his role in the team and wants to wait and see if things change over the course of the coming months.

Nacho has been at Real Madrid for 21 years now and has always had the idea of retiring as a one-club man. However, he is not entirely pleased with his role in the current season as his minutes have dried up since the arrival of Antonio Rudiger.

Indeed, the Spanish international is having to compete with Eder Militao, David Alaba and Rudiger for a starting berth at the heart of the defence, restricting him to just four starts thus far, while playing just 414 minutes across Los Blancos’ 21 matches across all competitions.

In comparison, at this point in last season, Nacho had played 15 matches, with ten of them as a starter and had accumulated over 900 minutes.

Given the difference, it is understandable for the player to have concerns over his role in the team and as a result, Nacho has put his contract talks on hold despite having a one-year offer on the table from the Merengues.

The 32-year-old will take stock of his situation in the coming months and decide whether to ink a new deal or move on from the club based on his role in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans.

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