Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly offered midfielder Luka Modric the opportunity to join his coaching staff for next season should he hang up his boots.
The former Ballon d'Or winner is still going strong at 38 but has been forced to accept a more peripheral role in the Blancos setup this season, starting just 11 La Liga games and three Champions League contests.
Modric is competing with the youthful Brahim Diaz, Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni for starts in the Real midfield, while Toni Kroos remains an integral player in the Blancos engine room.
The Croatia international has still come up with a respectable one goal and six assists in 28 games for Real this season, but he is running down the final six months of his contract with Los Blancos, which he extended for an additional year in 2023.
Modric is free to discuss pre-contract terms with foreign clubs should he wish, and clubs in Saudi Arabia could reportedly offer the former Tottenham Hotspur man one final mammoth payday before he calls time on his career.
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Ancelotti has hinted that Modric could continue as a player at the Bernabeu for another year, but according to The Athletic, the Croatian has also been given the chance to transition into a coaching role by his manager.
The report claims that Modric initially received an offer to join the backroom team a couple of months ago, but the veteran midfielder politely declined the proposal at the time.
However, those close to the situation apparently believe that Modric did not close the door fully on becoming a Real Madrid coach, meaning that he could still man the touchline for Los Blancos in the future.
For the time being, though, Modric believes that he has enough in the tank to continue playing for a little while longer, and he still has a yearning to win more trophies with Real Madrid during the twilight of his career.
Modric is supposedly in no rush to make a decision on his future either, and it is unclear whether he will inform Real Madrid of his plans before representing Croatia at this year's Euro 2024 tournament.
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The erstwhile Dinamo Zagreb youngster was a €35m (£30m) arrival at Real Madrid from Tottenham in the summer of 2012 and has gone on to make 516 appearances for the club in all competitions, level with Pirri in 15th place on Los Blancos' all-time list.
Modric has contributed 38 goals and 83 assists to Real Madrid in that time and has collected a staggering 23 major honours in the Spanish capital, including five Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles.
The 38-year-old is also one of eight players to win the Ballon d'Or while representing Real Madrid, and one of just two to be named The Best FIFA Men's Player alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
Real Madrid return to La Liga action at home to Sevilla on Sunday evening, where Ancelotti's team will bid to maintain or extend their six-point lead at the top of the La Liga table.
Ben Knapton
