Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos is continuing to delay a decision over his future at the club and has not signed the offer of a new contract believed to be on the table.
Kroos is under contract at the Santiago Bernabeu until next summer, with Real keen for the five-time Champions League winner (one with Bayern Munich, four with Real) to stay longer.
It was initially reported in Spain last month that Kroos has been offered an extra year until 2024, but he had decided he would at least wait until after the Champions League final.
The suggestion then was that Kroos, rather than being unsure about whether he wants to be at Real, is keen to consider how his mind and body feels looking to the future.
Now, Cadena SER has reported that Kroos has informed Real he wishes to wait a little longer before deciding whether to sign on the dotted line. He is keen to know what his own performance levels will be like in the coming season and will only renew if he is playing well enough.
Kroos has previously said he is ‘completely sure’ he will retire at Real and has even suggested that 2023, at the end of his current contract, might be when he decides to call it a day.
“I believe that the year 2023 is appropriate [to retire], I will be 33 years old,” he said last year when discussing his future. “I will decide whether I will renew for a season or two, that is still open for discussion, but I am completely sure that I will retire at Real Madrid.”
Kroos saw former Bayern Munich and Germany teammate Philipp Lahm quit professional football in 2017 at the age of 33, walking away at the very top rather than extend his career longer.
