Revealed: Toni Kroos' possible January destination
Real Madrid could see Toni Kroos make a shock January departure, according to a report in Spain.
The former Germany international midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season, and with Los Blancos only offering one-year deals to their veteran stars – with Karim Benzema a notable exception – the door is open for the midfielder to leave before the end of the season.
Madrid are performing a transformation of their midfield, where the Champions League-winning trio of Casemiro, Kroos and Luka Modric were all over 30. Casemiro has already departed for Manchester United, and Kroos could also be heading for the Premier League.
El Nacional reports that Manchester City are interested in signing 32-year-old Kroos.
Real Madrid unlikely to sell Kroos
There would be logic to such a signing. After all, Kroos is a player that manager Pep Guardiola knows well from his three-year spell with Bayern Munich.
Furthermore, Kroos provides the type of experience in the heart of the midfield that City are lacking. With five Champions League titles to his credit, the veteran could be seen as the type of player they need to add to their squad to allow them to step up a level.
But it is for these reasons, too, that Madrid are liable to prefer Kroos remains with the club until the end of the season.
Indeed, it appears that Los Blancos have little to gain in selling Kroos during the January transfer window. After all, he is a player that FootballTransfers values at only €23 million - not because of his quality, but because of his age and short duration remaining on his contract.
Earlier this week, it was revealed by Kroos via a podcast, that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has never thought about selling him – so it would be surprising if he had a change of heart now.