Everyone was expecting Toni Kroos to continue with Real Madrid for one more season but the 34-year-old has shocked the footballing world by announcing his retirement.
The midfielder has been with Madrid for 10 years and he has just announced on Instagram that the Champions League final vs Borussia Dortmund is going to be his last club game.
“July 17th, 2014 — the day of my presentation at Real Madrid, the day that changed my life,” Kroos said on Instagram, as per ESPN.
“My life as a footballer — but especially as a person. It was the start of a new chapter at the biggest club in the world. After 10 years, at the end of the season, this chapter comes to an end. At the same time, this decision means that my career as an active footballer will end this summer after the European Championship.
“As I have always said: Real Madrid is and will be my last club. I am happy and proud, that in my mind I found the right timing for my decision and that I could choose it by my own.”
Most experts had been claiming that Toni Kroos was thinking of continuing for one more season with Real Madrid but now that the German international has decided to bow out of football after the EURO, Madrid will have to scramble to find an apt replacement.
Even if wasn’t a priority, signing a new midfielder has been on Madrid’s summer agenda and here are the top two candidates who will be in line to replace the German maestro.
2 players who will now be priority targets for Real Madrid as replacement for Toni Kroos:
The first name that has been linked with the Los Blancos is that of Florian Writz who just had an outstanding season with Bayer Leverkusen. The midfielder has been linked with Madrid for a couple of months and now that Toni Kroos is about to leave Perez might try and land the 21-year-old.
However, there are two major issues with trying to get Writz on board with the first one being that Leverkusen have no plans to sell the midfielder which is why they have set an absurd asking price of €150 million.
This price is enough to push away the majority of the suitors and the club’s CEO has also publicly made it clear that the German is not going anywhere.
Bayer Leverkusen CEO Carro has recently said: “Florian Wirtz will stay with us next season. The plan is clear, together with his father”.
The other big issue with Florian Writz is that he is a No 10 who likes to play just behind the forward while Toni Kroos is a proper central midfielder who also occasionally plays in the CDM role.
This season, the 21-year-old has not played even a single game in the central midfield role for Leverkusen which is going to be a big thinking point for Carlo Ancelotti because Florian Writz might not be a like-for-like replacement for Kroos. He’s featured in 47 games in total this season out of which 43 have been in the attacking midfielder’s position while the rest have been as wingers and centre-forward.
As per reports, Real Madrid have also registered an interest in Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister and the World Cup winner will be a much more realistic target for the La Liga side.
Mac Allister has endured a somewhat challenging season at Anfield and even though Liverpool are not actively looking to sell him, a good enough offer will probably change their mind. Liverpool had paid only €42 million to sign him from Brighton and if Madrid can offer around €70-80 million, Arne Slot might just allow him to leave.
He struggled to find his rhythm at the start of the season but the Argentine has still chipped in with 10 goal contributions in 33 Premier League games. Mac Allister obviously hadn’t had the same impact from his Brighton days but that’s also because his midfield partners at Anfield have not been the best.
This scenario will quickly change at Real Madrid where he will have the chance to play alongside the likes of Bellingham and Camavinga so a summer move to the Bernabeu will be very tempting for the 25-year-old.
Real Madrid do not need to hit the panic button straightaway because they have ample good midfielders in their squad but it’s undeniable that Ancelotti will have to find a proper replacement for Toni Kroos, preferably before the start of the 24/25 season.
