The manager of Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti has asserted that the veterans in his squad, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Karim Benzema will remain at the club beyond this season.
The contracts of Benzema, Kroos, and Modric are expected to expire this summer. Even though Real Madrid are not close to reaching an agreement with the veterans, Ancelotti believes, they will remain at the club next season.
Former German midfielder Toni Kroos, 33, has won four Champions League titles with Real Madrid since 2014, while former French striker Karim Benzema, 35, and Croatian midfielder Toni Modric, 37, have won five each for the Spanish giants.
Since 2016, Real Madrid have acquired Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Federico Valverde as part of their plans for the future.
Despite that, Benzema has continued to be the team’s leading scorer and netted a hat-trick in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey victory over Barcelona. While Kroos and Modric’s game time had continued to drop in recent times amidst their push for a new contract.
“I think that in the end, they will look for a solution”, said Ancelotti.
“There are advances because they are talking.”
The coach added, “I think [they] will stay. We have to evaluate the players not by their age but by what they do.
“You can think the three don’t have the physical profile or energy of the younger players, but what these three have in terms of game management is unique, you can’t buy it on any market in the world.
“This is born with experience – age takes something from you, but it gives you something back as well.”
