Real Madrid President Florentino Perez may be approaching the final stages of his leadership at the club, if reports are to be believed.
This weekend the story was broken that Perez might be considering leaving the club, which has now been corroborated by MD. The Catalan daily suggest that while a departure is not imminent, he is looking at exit routes in the coming years.
Real Madrid released a statement on the matter denying that he would be leaving the club over the weekend in response to those stories, as well as the idea that there was a motion planned to rename their Valdebebas training ground after him.
Perez in theory is looking at potential replacements for himself, as he does not want the club go through such a turbulent phase as when he left the club in 2006 for the first time.
It should be said that the requirements likely make this a short list. After Perez put through a motion to change the statutes, anyone hoping to take over the club now must have been a member for 20 years, be Spanish, and be able to put together a bank guarantee of 15% of the budget – some €120m at this point.
The candidate in question will not have to put up all of the money themselves, but clearly, banks will not front that kind of agreement for anybody.
Any exit would only occur after the new Santiago Bernabeu has been inaugurated, which is dated for late 2023, or early 2024. Perez considers this the final part of his legacy. Once that is finished, he will have achieved everything in a footballing sense during his 20 years as President.
It would not be a surprise if Perez was considering leaving Real Madrid for that very reason, but equally it is somewhat at odds with his iron grip on power at the club.
On a football level, Real Madrid would remain in good hands, with General Director Jose Angel Sanchez maintaining a close eye on all operations for some time.
“The Catalan daily suggested”
Stopped reading there.