Lucas Vazquez rejects latest contract offer from Real Madrid
By Tom Gott
Real Madrid winger Lucas Vazquez is now listening to offers from elsewhere after more contract talks with the club hit another dead end.
Vazquez, whose current deal expires in the summer, dreams of staying with Real but has warned Los Blancos that he wants his contract demands to be met before the end of March, after which he will start pursuing a move away.
Real are keen to keep Vazquez around, having seen him blossom into one of the most valuable utility players around, but negotiations have stalled over the 29-year-old's search for a pay rise at a time in which Real are asking players to take cuts because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Marca state that there was another meeting between Real and Vazquez's agent earlier this week, but talks ended without a breakthrough and both parties have started to accept that an agreement probably isn't going to happen.
Real have asked Vazquez to take a 10% pay cut, just as several other members of the squad have already agreed to do, but the winger is actually looking for a rise of closer to 15% - something Real are adamant is not possible.
It's said that Vazquez is now looking around for a new club, while Real have already added finding a replacement for him to their to-do list for the summer.
In terms of potential landing spots for Vazquez, he has been linked with the likes of Leeds United, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan, and it is thought the winger would prefer to join a side who will be regularly competing in the Champions League.
Replacing him may actually be a real problem for Real. While nobody is pretending that Vazquez is a top-tier player, it's his ability to fill in all over the pitch at a high level which has earned him six years as part of the squad.
Of his 30 appearances this season, 27 of which have been as a starter, he has divided his time between midfield and right-back, impressing in defence in the absence of both Dani Carvajal and Alvaro Odriozola.
That versatility has helped endear Vazquez to manager Zinedine Zidane, but it appears as though the Frenchman might need to find someone else to rely on next season.