Real Madrid director reveals stance on January exit for Luka Modric
- Modric has admitted to being frustrated with his lack of minutes this season
- Rumours of a transfer to Saudi Arabia have been played down
- 38-year-old's contract expires next summer
By Tom Gott
Real Madrid director Jose Angel Sanchez has denied reports Luka Modric could leave for the Saudi Pro League in January.
Modric has openly confessed to struggling to come to terms with his limited minutes this season, having started just three La Liga games all season.
Indeed, Modric's total of 414 minutes in all competitions is lower than 14 other players and exceeds only the totals of Ferland Mendy, Lucas Vazquez, Andriy Lunin, Brahim Diaz and the injured Eder Militao.
It is for that reason that rumours of a January departure for Modric have emerged and Saudi Arabia has been touted as a likely destination, although Sanchez has moved to put speculation of an exit for the midfielder to bed.
"There are no official negotiations on the part of Saudi League officials to include Luka in January, and we have no ideas about his departure from the team at the present time," Sanchez told Al-Riyadiyah.
Reports in Spain recently claimed that Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti had angered those in charge at the club by deploying Modric alongside fellow veteran Toni Kroos alongside each other in search of a winner against Sevilla on Saturday, reigniting concerns over whether the pair - 38 and 33 years old respectively - are mobile enough to play together in 2023.
Modric and Kroos once made up an iconic midfield pairing at the Santiago Bernabeu but both have tumbled down the pecking order under Ancelotti, who has seen Madrid stockpile some of the game's top young midfielders.
Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga have all emerged as stars, while this summer's acquisition of Jude Bellingham sparked the tactical change that left Modric and Kroos fighting for their futures.
Modric has refused to rule out leaving the club in January if he continues to struggle for minutes, with former employers Dinamo Zagreb eyeing a reunion.
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