Luka Modric is reportedly Milan-bound. The Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport says the 39-year-old Croatia midfielder is to say his goodbye to his current team, Real Madrid, and become part of the Milan team following the Club World Cup. The newspaper says the name of the 39-year-old midfielder has been personally requested by coach Massimiliano Allegri, whose sporting director Igli Tare has already given the greenlight.
Modric arrived at Real Madrid in 2012. There were doubts when he arrived from Tottenham. Questions were raised by the media. Doubts were raised upon the transfer. He didn't waste time in dismissing the doubts with persistent, clever, and strong performances. He became the benchmark, the technical and moral benchmark of the team with the passage of time. He played 13 years at the club, 590 games, 43 goals, 90 assists, and 28 titles. The majority of them as a starter and field captain. Six Champions Leagues were won by Los Blancos over the years, and Modric played his part in all of them.
End of the cycle
Modric's Madrid contract is running out, and the Club World Cup is the last tournament the Croatian will feature in for the Spanish side. The competition will be hosted in the United States, and Madrid is drawn alongside Al-Hilal, Pachuca and RB Salzburg in the group phase.
He played 57 times in 2024/25, netting four and contributing nine assists. He won the UEFA Super Cup and finished runner-up to Barcelona on three fronts: LaLiga, Spanish Super Cup, and the Copa del Rey. Despite being nearing 40 years of age, he was played regularly and maintained his high standards.
Modric has not hinted at retirment from the sport. Instead, it seems he is looking to have another change for his new adventure. This is where Milan comes in.
Milan's attractions
The Italian newspaper, nonetheless, feels the Rossoneri team is banking on Modric's emotional devotion to Milan and specifically to former Croatian teammate Zvonimir Boban, whom he regards as an all-time idol. The hope is the emotional affinity would be the tiebreaker to sign the midfielder to his contract.
Milan won't be playing in the European competitions next season, something that would ward off the majority of players out there. For Modric, it's a different story. The man has already won everything there is to win as a player. The incentive now would have to be identity, history, and the significance the club has to him.
There is a compelling backdrop to this rumored Milan switch. Modric had previously been this close to joining the Rossoneri's fiercest rivals, Milan's own galaxy, back in 2008. Only for the transfer to materialize and have him end up at Tottenham down the road instead. Nineteen years on, fate may have him switch to the opposite side of the Milanese divide. Not for nothing. Milan is now apparently ready to wed pragmatism and symbolism.
Allegri sees in Modric a name who would bring stability, experience, and class to the midfield. Modric no longer has the athleticism of his youth but remains the player with superior reading of the game. To it, he still has the ability to control the rhythm of the match, to retain the ball, and to deliver those passes through the channels at high alert. Milan won't have it easy even without the European commitment, since they have youth compared to the others. Modric would provide the equilibrium on and off the pitch.