“I don’t need to boost my ego with stories about big offers” - Real Madrid star on reported Saudi offer
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has played down reports of him potentially moving to the Saudi Pro League this week.
While the summer transfer window has shut in most of Europe, it is open until Thursday (September 7) night in Saudi Arabia. As a result, multiple players from Europe's top five leagues continue to be linked with a lucrative move to the Middle East.
While there have been no recent reports involving Modric, the Croatian was rumored to have received a massive proposal from SPL giants Al-Hilal in June. However, transfer news journalist Gianluca di Marzio (via GOAL) reported that the midfielder turned down the approach.
Modric has now spoken about the offer, and explained that he is content with his situation at his current club. The 37-year-old said (as quoted by @FabrizioRomano on X):
“I'm so happy and fulfilled at Real Madrid, not thinking about other options.
“I don’t even need to boost my ego with these stories about big offers. I just want to enjoy every moment in football and Real Madrid.”
It's worth noting that the veteran is in the final year of his deal, which expires next summer.
Since arriving from Tottenham Hotspur back in 2012, Modric has played 492 times for Los Blancos, recording 37 goals and 77 assists. He has won five UEFA Champions League titles, three La Liga trophies, four UEFA Super Cups and five FIFA Club World Cups, among other honors.
Luka Modric has settled for a reduced role for Real Madrid so far this season
After nearly a decade of being an undisputed starter for Los Blancos, Luka Modric has come off the bench in three of their four La Liga matches this season. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has largely chosen to play Aurelien Tchouameni, Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Jude Bellingham in midfield so far.
This has meant Modric has received just 133 minutes of action across four league games. However, he started Real Madrid's most recent match - a 2-1 win over Getafe - and wore the captain's armband as well.
In his time on the pitch, the veteran has completed 90% of his passes and averaged 1.0 key passes, 1.0 tackles and 1.5 balls recovered per game.