Luka Modric pens one-year extension with Real Madrid

The LaLiga club announced on Monday that Croatia playmaker Modric, 37, would remain with them until at least the end of June 2024.

Modric - who joined Real from Tottenham in 2012 and has gone on to win the Champions League five times as well as three LaLiga titles - would have been out of contract this summer and so could have left on a free transfer.

A statement from Real Madrid read: "Real Madrid and Luka Modric have agreed to extend the player's contract, which remains linked to the club until June 30 2024."

Modric - who helped Croatia reach the 2018 World Cup final and won the Ballon d'Or that year - had been linked with following former team-mate Karim Benzema in making a big-money move to Saudi Arabia.

Following the announcement of his new contract at Real Madrid, Modric wrote on Twitter: "Home Sweet Home. #Modric2024".