Saudi Teams Attempting To Poach Real Madrid Star Luka Modric

Spanish giants Real Madrid CF are in danger of losing star midfielder Luka Modric in January if recent reports are to be believed. Apparently, Saudi Pro League clubs Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad are determined to seduce the high profile Croatian months before his contract expires at the end of the current campaign.

Instead of waiting until the summer of 2024 when Real Madrid might lock down Modric to a new one-year deal, the two Saudi Arabian clubs are reportedly planning to act as soon as they can legally do so when the January transfer window opens.

Journalist Rudy Galetti made the bold claims in a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying: "Al Ahli are ready to get back in touch with Luka Modric trying to tempt him already for the winter transfer session. Al Ittihad are also interested in the CM: both clubs will work to obtain his green light before contacting Real Madrid."

It may be remembered that there was a lot of buzz last summer over offers that were being made by Saudi Pro League sides to some of the biggest names in European football.

In fact, Real Madrid surprisingly lost their captain, Karim Benzema, after Al-Ittihad swooped in with a three-year deal which is set to see him earn almost £200 million per season. The Frenchman was not expected to leave the Santiago Bernabeu so suddenly, but such was the lure of the Saudi Pro League side.

Neymar Jr. also left PSG for a new career in Saudi, along with then-captain of Liverpool, Jordan Henderson. Roberto Firmino, N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy and Riyad Mahrez also left their respective European clubs for lucrative deals with Saudi Pro League clubs.

It is understood that Modric received offers as well, but at the time, he did not appear to consider them and quickly confirmed his contract extension with Real Madrid.

Things have changed a lot at in a few months

Everyone expected Modric to continue to play an important role for Los Blancos, but he has seen a significant reduction in playing time since the start of the 2023/24 campaign. In La Liga, he has only made a total of four starts out of twelve matches. He came in as a substitute six times, and stayed on the bench for the remaining two games.

Meanwhile, in the Champions League, Modric has started in only two of the four games played so far. He has only played a total of 617 minutes all season, which is far below expectations.

The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner has not scored a single goal so far, but he has made a massive impact whenever he is on the pitch, including a crucial assist during El Clasico.

The season will continue to become more hectic, and it remains to be seen if Ancelotti will start to rely more on Modric in the coming months. Nevertheless, reduced game time is almost always one of the big factors why players leave.

The arrival of Jude Bellingham this summer meant that the midfield has transformed, and both Modric and Toni Kroos are seeing reduced minutes compared to ever before.

While there has been no confirmation that Modric is planning on leaving, the situation has encouraged the Saudi based clubs to try making an approach. Likewise, there have also been reports that former rival Lionel Messi is keen on bringing the Croatian over to join him at David Beckham's Inter Miami.

All of these are speculations for now, as no official discussions can take place until January. Furthermore, Real Madrid CEO Jose Angel Sanchez, has said that no official bid for the star player has been received by the club.