- Real Madrid do not intend to offer new contracts to Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba
- Both defenders could be sold before the end of August if offers meet the club’s modest demands
- Raul Asensio has been officially registered as a first-team player in La Liga
Key Takeaways:
Real Madrid’s management is planning for a future without centre-backs Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba, according to Spanish newspaper AS. Both players joined the Santiago Bernabeu outfit in recent years and fit into Florentino Perez’s strategy of signing players on free transfers, saving the club substantial financial resources. However, both defenders have recently lost the trust of the club’s new sporting and technical leadership, as well as of the board.
🚨 Real Madrid no longer counts on Alaba or Rüdiger for the future.
▪️Only Rüdiger has a slight chance of renewal after this season.
[ Source: @diarioas ] pic.twitter.com/4faGIKZSK6
— TwinVamos (@TwinVamos) July 29, 2025
Rudiger’s performances were heavily criticised during the Club World Cup, where he made several mistakes. Alaba, on the other hand, has been struggling with constant injuries and has failed to stay fit long enough to make a consistent impact on the team. For these reasons, Real Madrid have decided not to start negotiations over new deals with either player and plan to part ways with both at the end of the upcoming campaign. Rudiger and Alaba have contracts running until next summer, but the club is open to selling them by the end of August if there are suitors willing to meet the relatively low asking price.
At the same time, Raul Asensio has officially been registered as a first-team player at Real Madrid after being listed in the club’s La Liga squad. This means Asensio will no longer wear shirt number 35. Squad numbers in La Liga range from 1 to 25, with only numbers 17 and 25 currently available. Shirt number 9 is also expected to be freed up soon so that Kylian Mbappe can wear number 10.