Marco Asensio has joined the stable of super-agent Jorge Mendes ahead of a potential summer exit from Real Madrid — with Tottenham and AC Milan showing an interest.
The Sunday Mirror revealed earlier this month that Spurs and the Italian giants had been made aware the 26-year-old Spaniard could be leaving the Bernabeu. He is yet to agree a new deal with Real and, if he still has not put pen to paper by the end of June, Los Blancos will look to ship him out.
Midfielder Asensio’s decision to take up with Mendes’s Gestifute has increased suspicions within the club that he sees his future elsewhere. His previous representatives had recently confirmed both Arsenal and AC Milan were interested in signing the playmaker.
It's believed Real would like to keep the Spaniard on their books and have offered him a €5m per year salary - around £80,000-a-week - as well as add-ons. Asensio is still mulling over his future and could be persuaded to leave the Bernabeu as he continues to struggle for game time.
Asensio has played 34 games in all competitions this term but only enjoyed 1,713 minutes in total - averaging around 50 minutes per match. The player himself sparked speculation about his future back in the last international break when he spent time in Milan.
Many supporters felt the player's trip was an indication about his next move with his former agents stating that the Italian giants are interested in their client's services. "We are proud of Milan’s interest," said Asensio's agents, as quoted by Sportmediaset. "The Rossoneri [Milan] are an option even if there are offers from a couple of English clubs, including Arsenal. We are ready to evaluate every option."
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Former agent Horacio Gaggioli claimed the Spanish giants were willing to let Asensio leave but it was Carlo Ancelotti who was adamant he was staying. “Ancelotti was the one who stopped him from leaving. Madrid were willing to let him leave for his own good,” said Gaggioli last September.
Madrid are poised to move for Kylian Mbappe this summer with the Frenchman's PSG contract winding down and time running out for the Parisians to negotiate an extension. That would further bolster Madrid's attacking options and could hamper Asensio's game time with the likes of Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr ahead of him currently.
One of Arsenal or Tottenham will be preparing for Champions League football next term as they battle it out for the final top four spot. Asensio has excelled in Europe's top competition previously, scoring in the 2017 final for Los Blancos as they beat Juventus in 2017.
