Croatia and Real Madrid legend Luka Modric has signed a one-year extension on his expired contract which keeps him with the La Liga champions for a 12th campaign.
Mbappe mania has arrived in Madrid of course, but this is more news which has delighted Los Blancos fans as the Peter Pan of football clearly still has plenty to offer. The 38-year-old midfield maestro has been part of the furniture at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2012 and, since he moved from Tottenham Hotspur to Madrid, he has won six Champions League medals, four La Liga titles and a Ballon D’Or in 2018 to break the monopoly held by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Modric is a very special player who was part of arguably the best middle three of 21st century football; alongside Casemiro and Toni Kroos, who announced his retirement at the end of the 2023/24 campaign. So in a fast-moving industry the re-signing of Modric gives Los Blancos supporters a comforting sense of continuity.
As Real Madrid celebrated the 2024 Champions League win Modric told the fans he would return for another year and the news of his extended contract broke last week. So we can look forward to more La Liga 2024 highlights from the mercurial midfield ace and that’s only good news for Los Blancos fans too.
And no sooner had Madrid announced that Modric was staying at the club they moved to give another popular player another year as fullback Lucas Vazquez was also offered a contract extension. The utility player is entering his tenth season at the Santiago Bernabeu and he became a legend of Los Blancos last April when he scored in a 3-2 El Clasico win, as well as winning a penalty and making an assist. Like Modric, Vazquez has been at Real Madrid through a decade of phenomenal success and he has won five Champions Leagues titles and four La Ligas.
The La Liga 2024 betting odds here at SBOTOP are backing Los Blancos to retain their league title and also push Manchester City close for the 2025 Champions League. It will be a tough campaign for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, under heaps of pressure and, with such exciting young players as Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and Endrick at the club; the renewals of Modric and Vazquez are two very smart moves.
Barca prepare an improved deal for Fermin
New Barcelona boss Hansi Flick is getting his feet under the table at the Camp Nou and he is yet to make a marquee signing, but the club is working on an improved deal for one of last season’s breakout stars. While the 17-year-old Lamine Yamal grabbed most of the headlines at Camp Nou, and continued to do so in a spectacular campaign for Spain at Euro 2024, attacking midfielder Fermin Lopez was another of Barcelona’s breakout stars of 2024. He finished the campaign with 11 goals from 42 games and the 21-year-old is now a hot property in European football. Having helped Spain win the European Championship he joined his nation’s Olympic team, which won its opener against Uzbekistan and Fermin is a player who just loves every minute of his time on the pitch. That quality and passion for the game could make him a long-term favourite at the Camp Nou and so Blaugrana bosses are ready to move to persuade Fermin to extend his stay in Catalonia.
He was given a new deal last August but his stock has since risen, as the second-highest scorer for Barcelona last year, behind only Robert Lewandowski, and now Fermin has become a key player for both club and country. The proposed deal will keep him at Barcelona until 2029 and it is designed to keep the big spenders away. He has recently been the subject of an offer from Chelsea who have been told by Barca officials to pay the release clause of 335m Euros.
Flick knows how good Fermin Lopez can be and he will be keen to see him move from strength to strength as Barcelona attempt to wrestle the La Liga title away from Real Madrid.
And the Barca boss is looking to the future too. Over the past week, Barcelona have announced contract renewals for three of their most exciting young players, Oscar Gistau Toni Fernandez, and most recently Guille Fernandez. If these three can get near to the success of Yamal and Fermin then there are exciting times ahead for Blaugrana fans.
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