Which Real Madrid players are out of contract in the summer of 2023?

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Real Madrid is the most successful team in European football history, lifting the Champions League and its predecessor tournament the European Cup a combined 14 times.

From Alfredo Di Stefano through Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo Nazario to Cristiano Ronaldo, some of the greatest players of all time have graced the Santiago Bernabeu.

Los Blancos were crowned Spanish and European champions once again last season, but they didn't rest on their laurels in the transfer market, spending €100 million on Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

Real Madrid currently sits second in La Liga and are one of the favorites for the Champions League this season. The squad has an average age of 27.2 and is a good blend of youth and experience.

Real Madrid have seven players whose contracts are expiring this summer. Four of them — Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Nacho Fernandez — all are 33 or older. One of them — Mariano Diaz — is guaranteed to be let go. The remaining two — Dani Ceballos, Marco Asensio have to be juggled carefully.

It's easy to suggest extending both Modric and Kroos is a no-brainer. They are club legends, both playing at a high level and have earned the right to decide. But there is also another side of this that often gets overlooked, and rarely gets asked: Is it better to have one year of Kroos and Modric or five years of Ceballos?

Ceballos has earned his spot in the roster, and gives you a player profile (energetic, vertical, dynamic, hard-working, press-resistant, creative) that fits in the right timeline with the rest of the young midfielders. Ceballos may see Modric and / or Kroos renewing and decide to walk.

Karim Benzema

The current Ballon d'Or holder has missed a chunk of this season through injury, but he does look more than likely to stick around in Spain.

The Frenchman had the most prolific season of his career last year, scoring 44 goals across all competitions.

As per a report, the 35-year-old, Karim Benzema would be offered a one-year extension but nothing has been officially confirmed since.

Benzema does have admirers in the Premier League but is more than likely going to stick around for at least another year.

Marco Asensio

Asensio's future is much more up in the air as the Spanish playmaker has fallen down the pecking order at Madrid. He has come into form over the last few months though, with six-goal contributions in his last seven matches.

Toni Kroos

The 33-year-old is still an important player for Madrid and has featured in the majority of their games this season. He recently hinted that he will be signing a new one-year deal with the club.

"Everything is on the right track, but I also respect what the club wants: how and when it communicates," he shared in media. "There is a good relationship that I have with the club over the years and this issue has already been discussed for a while."

Luka Modric

The Croatian midfielder has more than stood the test of time as he is still arguably the best midfielder in the world at 37.

He was a star in the World Cup once again for Croatia and he is still vital to the way Madrid plays.

The future looks bright for Real Madrid in midfield with stars like Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde all coming through, but Modric still remains to be the linchpin in the middle. Madrid just wouldn’t be the same without him.

Dani Ceballos

The Spanish midfielder has been with Real Madrid since 2017 and he has mostly been a squad player during his time with the club.

In that time he also spent two years on loan with Arsenal and he now faces a decision over his future.

Nacho

Nacho has won it all with Real Madrid, with three league titles and five Champions League trophies.

The 32-year-old has spent his entire career at the Santiago Bernabeu and he has racked up over 280 appearances for the club in that time.

Recent reports have claimed that contract negotiations between the player and club are ongoing and so the defender could be weighing up his options for the future. Fernandez has interest from England, Italy and from outside Europe.

Mariano Diaz

Diaz has played a grand total of 56 minutes across all competitions this season and so it would be no real surprise to see him being moved on.

Since his return to Madrid in 2018 he has scored seven goals in 67 appearances.

He didn't quite live up to the famous number seven shirt, but he did score a word upon his return to Madrid to be fair to him.

REAL MADRID is really good, but weak in certain areas. They are not that far away from having a great overall squad, but the chips need to be played properly to maximize the capacity to fight for all three trophies for the next few years. A lot of the decisions this summer will affect long-term success.