29 January 2023 , 14:46
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Marco Asensio has a contract renewal offer on the table from Real Madrid but several other top European clubs have also made contact with him through his agent Jorge Mendes.
The 27-year-old has joined Mendes’s Gestifute agency a year ago as his deal at the Spanish giants ticked into the final 12 months. Last summer, sources close to the player suggested that Arsenal were in the box seat to land him – but a decision on his future has been delayed.
Last season, Asensio admitted that he was less than happy with his lack of continuity at the club. He then gave an update on his future in June in which he admitted he wanted to play more and that this was an "important moment for an important decision" over his future.
Asensio has continued to find game-time limited in Carlo Ancelotti’s side this season, starting just three of the club’s 18 La Liga matches to date and completing just one of those games. Despite his love for Real Madrid, it has led to question marks on his future.
A report in Marca has outlined how Los Blancos are keen to renew his deal but several other clubs have also made an approach. None of those teams are referenced, but it is believed Arsenal have continued to monitor his contractual situation.
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It is believed that Asensio last year was leaning towards a departure and his priority for any future contract is the promise of more minutes on the pitch ahead of any money on offer. However, there has been an easing of tensions between the player and club in recent weeks.
Marco Asensio has had to accept making most of his appearances from the bench (David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)Have Your Say! Would Asensio be a good signing for Arsenal? Tell us what you think here.
Club president Florentino Perez is a fan of the forward and has made his admiration known to the player, while Asensio also was included from the start in Real Madrid’s recent victory at Athletic Club Bilbao. His decision is not definitive, but he is said to be swaying towards staying in the Spanish capital.
Asensio said last summer: "I have one year left on my contract and I have three possibilities, after the international break we will talk." The three future options to which he refers are the following: renew his contract, stay at Real Madrid until the summer of 2023 and then leave for free at the end of the contract or seek an exit this summer for a fee."
Asensio joined Madrid in 2014 but spent his first two seasons at the club on loan spells at Mallorca and Espanyol, meaning that he was not a member of the first-team squad in Ancelotti’s first spell in the dugout.
He was somewhat of a young prodigy at Madrid and he bagged double figures in his first two full seasons with the club between 2016 and 2018. He suffered a dip in form the following campaign before suffering a LCL knee ligament injury in summer 2019 - which ruled him out of action for a year.