REAL MADRID
Who could leave Real Madrid this summer?
More players could be set to leave Real Madrid.
Several players have already waved goodbye to their Real Madrid team-mates this summer, including Marco Asensio, who left the club to join PSG. And two players in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad still have their future up in the air: Andriy Lunin and Álvaro Odriozola. For various reasons, they have not been part of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans and could find themselves at new clubs ahead of the 2023-24 season. Both players come to the end of their respective contracts in June 2024 and this is Madrid’s last chance, however small the amount may be, to make sales.
With Lunin, the club knows that he wants to leave. A couple of injuries to Courtois have given the Ukrainian goalkeeper more opportunities than in previous seasons. He ended up playing twelve games, including the Clásico in the first half of the league season and the two Club World Cup matches. That’s almost a fifth of the 61 games Madrid have played this term. He played in the first round of the Copa del Rey but as soon as Primera opponents Villarreal came along, Thibaut Courtois started between the sticks.
Lunin’s progress slows
It is his fifth season at Madrid and Lunin, 24, has seen his progress slowed due to a lack of opportunities in the Madrid goal. Named best goalkeeper at the Under-20 World Cup in 2019, a year after being signed by Los Blancos, he was a candidate to be the first-choice goalkeeper for his national team when the eternal Andriy Pyatov (who turns 39 on the 28th) decides to retire, but his lack of minutes at Madrid complicates his battle with Anatoli Trubin, the other rising star with Ukraine.
Lunin replacements
Madrid are prepared for the goalkeeper to leave and, as AS reported on 9 June, they have three options if Lunin leaves: David Soria (30 years old), Pacheco (31) and Stole Dimitrievski (29). The first two came through the youth system at Madrid.
Odriozola’s déjà vu
Álvaro Odriozola (27) is experiencing déjà vu. For yet another season, his role has been insignificant. He has played just 92 minutes in six matches. He has played the second-fewest minutes under Ancelotti, behind Álvaro Rodríguez and Casemiro, who played 97 minutes before leaving for Manchester United. Only Jesús Vallejo (88′) has played fewer minutes than the player from San Sebastian, who finds himself in the same situation as two years ago: looking for a club where he can enjoy more game time.
Basque sides show interest
Athletic Club and Real Sociedad have been interested in the situation of the full-back, but have not gone any further than that. Odriozola’s next destination could be Italy, where he spent the 2021-22 season on loan at Fiorentina.