Dinamo Zagreb manager Nenad Bjelica has urged Luka Modric to consider an emotional return to his former side as he nears the end of his Real Madrid contract.
Modric, who turned 39 in September, is approaching the final six months of his current contract and faces an uncertain future, having failed to hold down a regular place in Carlo Ancelotti’s starting line-up in recent years 18 months
The midfielder has started just five of his side’s 12 league outings this year, after making 18 starts last term, and is approaching a crossroads in his career as he considers an extension with Madridretire or look for a move elsewhere.
For Dinamo manager Bjelica, the preferred move would be a return to the Croatian side where Modric made his name before joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2008.
“Who wouldn’t like to have a Luka Modric in their team?” he said Radio MARCA. “I think all Dinamo Zagreb fans would be very happy to have Luka, at least for one year.
“For sure he would help the team a lot, but the most realistic thing is that he stays in Madrid or finishes his career elsewhere, although we would like him to finish his career at Dinamo Zagreb.”
For Madrid, life without Modric is something that club officials have prepared for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz has already been identified as a potential replacement. Wirtz might even be in Spain, coach Xabi Alonsowho has been proclaimed as the heir to Ancelotti’s throne.
