Real Madrid: Time running out to secure new Modric deal

As soon as Karim Benzema had headed Real Madrid in front against Borussia Monchengladbach, Luka Modric and Sergio Ramos raced over to congratulate him. The French striker and captain have been close friends with Modric since his arrival in the summer of 2012. Both the Croatian and Lucas Vázquez, who also enjoyed a great game at the Alfredo Di Stéfano the other night, will be out of contract on 30 June 2021. And what's worse, both will be able to start negotiating with other clubs in just three weeks from now…

Modric is producing some of the best football since he arrived at the club. On Wednesday, out of the 93 passes he attempted, 82 found their target (88% success rate, with all 11 of his long balls reaching a team mate). Out of those 82 successful passes, Lucas Vázquez received 15, followed by Benzema and Varane (12 each). Modric picked out Rodrygo a total of 10 ten times during the game - Courtois and Asensio were the only ones who were not on the end of a Modric pass.

Luka wants to continue at Madrid and is hoping that the club will contact him to discuss the terms of a new agreement. But as of the moment, neither he nor Lucas Vázquez have been contacted about their respective contracts. Both are waiting to see how the coronavirus situation evolves but for Madrid, having Modric for another year would be a huge boost - he is without doubt one of the best midfielders in Zidane's squad. 

Up until now, the 35-year-old has totalled 371 minutes in the six Champions League group games: he has covered a total of 42,945 metres (more than a marathon), and has featured in the starting XI in all seven of the team's seven most recent games (he's completed the full 90 minutes in six of them). He opened the scoring for Madrid in Shakhtar's visit to the Di Stéfano and played a key role in the victory over Inter Milan at San Siro. We are barely four months into the season but Modric's influence on the team is clear to see. His team mates know it. Striking a new deal is imperative before time runs out. In the meantime, Modric is patiently waiting for Madrid to call…