Nacho Fernandez confirms Real Madrid contract decision
Nacho Fernandez has confirmed that he will stay at Real Madrid for another season following speculation about his future.
The defender was a key member of Carlo Ancelotti's squad during the 2022/23 campaign, playing 44 games in all competitions for Los Blancos. Last season was Nacho's 13th as part of the Real Madrid senior team, and during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu the now 33-year-old has won three La Liga titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues and two Copa del Reys.
With his contract due to expire at the end of June, there has been plenty of speculation around whether or not Nacho's 13th season with Los Blancos was set to be his last - with Inter said be very interested in signed him as a free agent this summer.
However, that speculation has now been put to bed by the player himself as, in an interview on RTVE he announced that he intends to stay at Los Blancos for another year.
"I’m going hand in hand with my club and my family," he began. "There are always, of course, offers from outside, but I’ve decided to stay for another year. I’m happy about it and I’m looking forward to staying there."
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The news will come as a relief to Real Madrid fans who have recently seen legendary forward Karim Benzema leave for Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad - signing a three-year deal believed to be worth €200m per annum.
Benzema's departure has left Real Madrid in need of a new captain and Nacho is now expected to be handed the armband after putting pen to paper on an extension.
Nacho, the longest-tenured player at the club, made over 100 appearances for the Castilla side and has racked up 319 outings for the first team, providing excellent cover all across the back line for a number of different managers.
He's currently the team's fourth-choice centre-back, behind Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba in the pecking order.
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