‘Almost done’ – Real Madrid close to new long-term deal with 22-year-old | OneFootball

Real Madrid have suffered considerably from injury issues this season, with Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao suffering serious knee problems that may well see them out for the rest of the season. While that has been a long way from ideal, the emergence of Raul Asencio has paliated their impact.

Carlo Ancelotti has only been able to regularly rely on Antonio Rudiger being part of his backline this season, and the issue has been particularly egregious in central defence. With Militao out long-term, David Alaba only returned from his own 13-month recovery period in January, and the Austrian is still getting up to full speed. Jesus Vallejo has not been an option for Ancelotti, and often Aurelien Tchouameni has been forced to fill in there.

Image via Marca

As the season has gone on though, Asencio has gradually won over Ancelotti, and he was one of their best players throughout their knockout clashes in the Champions League against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid. With his contract up in 2026, Los Blancos have been keen to lock Asencio into a long-term deal, and Fabrizio Romano has reported that the fresh contract is almost done.

Asencio has confirmed that he is excited about the prospect of renewing for Real Madrid, anad there has been little sense that he may leave, but they would rather be safe than sorry: currently Asencio has a €50m release clause in his contract. There have been reports that Los Blancos are looking to bring in another central defender this summer, but Asencio may allow them to stave off that move until the summer of 2026.

This season Asencio has played 29 games for the Real Madrid first team, giving two assists in that time. Of those appearandes, 20 have been starts, and now it finally looks like Asencio will be trusted in Real Madrid’s biggest games – Asencio has missed both of Real Madrid’s encounters with Barcelona this season. Once Alaba is back to full fitness though, it will be interesting to see if Ancelotti restores the veteran alongside Rudiger.