Modric's response when asked about joining Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia

Stuart Telford

• 25 Mar 2023 19:41 GMT
• 3 min read

Luka Modric has been linked with a move to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr at the end of the season with his contract at Real Madrid expiring in June.

Modric has been a loyal club servant to Real since joining in a €35 million move from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012, racking up 473 appearances and winning five Champions Leagues along the way.

Four of those triumphs were won alongside Ronaldo, who is the club's all-time record scorer with 451 goals, but speculation has been mounting that Modric could be set to join his former teammate in Saudi Arabia.

READ: The player Man Utd chose to sign instead of Modric

Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in January having been released by Manchester United, becoming the world's highest paid footballer on €200m a year in the process, while Modric, who turns 38 in September, is out of contract at the end of the season.

But despite not yet signing a renewal at the Santiago Bernabeu, Modric insists he has no intention of leaving.

Modric: 'My wish is to stay at Real'

"I don't know what to say if I haven't already said - my desire is to stay at Real Madrid until the end of my career, anything else is just speculation," he said at a press conference ahead of Saturday's Euro 2024 qualifier between Croatia and Wales.

"I know that you [journalists] have to write and provide information, but what I've repeated it 100 times I'll repeat now: my wish is to stay at Real."

READ: Real Madrid wages: How much does each player earn?

When Modric was asked if he might have to end his Croatia career to continue with Madrid, his answer was emphatic: "Short and clear - no."

Modric has featured in 24 of Real's 26 La Liga games this season, racking up more minutes than Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga, despite the Frenchmen being 15 and 18 years his junior respectively.

Real have been heavily linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund's nascent England international Jude Bellingham, but even if he were to arrive, it would seem Modric still has a place in the team. Ronaldo and Saudi Arabia will have to wait.