Real Madrid captain Nacho has told the club he has decided to leave it when his contract expires according to MARCA, which cited anonymous sources.
Like midfielders Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, Nacho becomes a free agent on June 30.
In the absence of David Alaba and Eder Militao, who both suffered ACL ruptures at different points of the season, the veteran has been one of Carlo Ancelotti’s first choice defenders.
The Italian has often gone for a center back duo of Antonio Rudiger and Nacho, with Aurelien Tchouameni sometimes replacing one of them.
On Wednesday, however, Tchouameni was suspended for Madrid’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Manchester City with Nacho proving to be one of the heroes of the evening.
The first leg when Nacho wasn’t picked in favour of a Tchouameni and Rudiger pairing saw City score three times in a 3-3 draw.
At the Etihad, however, where the Mancunians thrashed Los Blancos 4-0 in the UCL last four last term, Nacho helped keep the home team down to just a single goal in a tight 1-1 stalemate.
After 120 minutes of gruelling football including extra time, with attacking players such as Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo already brought off, he stepped up to smash a penalty past Ederson in a shootout won 4-3 when Rudiger also converted his kick.
As the dust settles on that historic win on English soil, however, with just two days remaining until El Clasico against his boyhood club’s bitter rivals FC Barcelona, Nacho has reportedly told president Florentino Perez and the coaching staff that he has already decided to leave.
Nacho wants a “new adventure” after 23 years with his current employers, with OK Diario previously reporting that he has an offer from the United States to continue his career in the MLS.
If the five-time Champions League winner wishes to carry on playing in that competition and in Europe, however, he could entertain interest from Inter that has been constant MARCA says.
In 2023, Nacho was close to jumping ship to Italy only to be convinced to stay on and fulfil a dream of becoming Madrid’s skipper.
That this change of heart has happened before means there is confidence Nacho could again be persuaded to sign on the dotted line for another 12 months to take him past his 35th birthday.
Meanwhile, Perez also needs to do likewise with Kroos who said he still doesn’t know about his future following the City triumph.
As for Modric, he has already decided to leave as well according to Cadena SER.