Why Toni Kroos won't renew his contract with Real Madrid

21 Jun 2022 18:25 BST
3 min read

Real Madrid star Toni Kroos — © ProShots

Real Madrid have been hit by the news that Toni Kroos does not want to renew his contract with the club.

The 32-year-old is entering the final year of his deal with Real but has told the club he prefers to wait before committing to an extension as he does not want to be a financial burden to them.

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Kroos is understood to be aware of the competition for starting places in Madrid and the German would prefer to make a decision once he is sure of his level of performance in order to avoid ending up on the bench.

Real do not want their star midfielder to leave however the veteran is considering his options as he values first-team football over money.

Is this end of the Toni Kroos era in Madrid?

Kroos has been an integral part of Real's success since joining from Bayern Munich in 2014, winning 16 titles and appearing in more than 300 games across all competitions.

He, along with Casemiro and Luka Modric, have been the heartbeat of Real's midfield for nearly a decade but with all three players into their 30s, the transition to a new dawn could end up coming sooner rather than later.

Real already see Federico Valverde, 23, and Eduardo Camavinga, 19, as the future, while the club have also brought in Aurelien Tchouameni this summer for €100 million from Monaco.

🚨DID YOU KNOW: Bayern CEO Rummenigge told Toni Kroos:"We won't pay you more than €10M per year. You're not a world class player"
Toni Kroos was running out of contract in 2013/14. He was offered less than €10M and less than Mario Gotze. Real Madrid got the Steal of the Century pic.twitter.com/N4HiVXkaKz
— PointGod RMA➐ (@Point_God_11_) June 12, 2022

While Casemiro, Kroos and Modric are still performing to an elite level, emphasised by Real's Champions League dominance in recent years, all three may end up being phased out the first team in the near future.

Kroos has no qualms with the club making plans for the future but the World Cup winner does not want to rush into a decision without knowing the full picture.

The former Bayern man has not expressed any desire to leave the club this summer, nor are the club considering selling him, but he will have no shortage of suitors should they choose to cash in or if he departs on a free next year.