Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal is set to leave the club upon the expiration of his contract this summer.

The 34-year-old, a mainstay of Madrid’s senior squad for the past 13 seasons, is expected to leave the Spanish club as a free agent.

Sources close to Carvajal say he is aware of the club’s decision not to renew his deal.

Carvajal’s future at Madrid had been uncertain throughout this season due to persistent injury setbacks and losing his place as first-choice right-back to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who joined from Liverpool last summer.

The Athletic reported in April that Carvajal has several options in mind for his future beyond Madrid.

A possible move to Saudi Arabia or another Middle Eastern country is described by sources with knowledge of the situation as difficult, due to the ongoing tense situation in that region.

Carvajal’s brother-in-law Joselu, his former team-mate at Real Madrid, is set to leave Qatari club Al Gharafa this summer when his contract expires.

Carvajal — who has won 26 trophies including four La Liga titles and six Champions Leagues at Madrid — missed nine months after tearing his Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), along with lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and posterolateral corner in his right knee in October 2024.

He has suffered further injuries this term but has played a full 90 minutes on just two occasions since returning from arthroscopy surgery on his right knee in December.

Speaking at a news conference in April, head coach Alvaro Arbeloa suggested he would not give Carvajal increased minutes solely to boost the 34-year-old’s hopes of a starting spot for Spain at the summer’s World Cup.

“I have 23 players,” Arbeloa said. “Any Real Madrid player has options to go to the World Cup and, if you allow me, I’m going to think about what’s best for my team.”

Carvajal starred in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Arbeloa later clarified his “blunt” remark was not “directed at Dani Carvajal personally”, and that the defender is “vital” to Madrid and “should be just as important” for Spain.

Carvajal joined Real Madrid as a 10-year-old in 2002, and has spent 23 seasons at the club — a tenure split by a season at Bayer Leverkusen in 2012-13. He has made 448 first-team appearances.

He has made just 32 appearances for Madrid since the start of the 2024-25 campaign due to his knee injuries, and he has started eight league matches this season, with Alexander-Arnold also having struggled for fitness at right-back.

Carvajal leaves the Bernabeu after back-to-back trophyless seasons, with Madrid having been knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage to Bayern Munich, while falling behind Barcelona in La Liga for the second campaign in succession.

At international level, Carvajal has played 52 games for Spain and helped his nation win the European Championship in 2024.

What is Carvajal’s Madrid legacy?

Analysis by Mario Cortegana Santos

It is very difficult to put into words what Dani Carvajal has achieved and the legacy he leaves behind at Real Madrid.

But the truth is that the facts speak for themselves: the boy who (literally) laid the first stone of the Valdebebas training ground is leaving the club of his life as captain, having won four La Liga titles, and six Champions League trophies.

Few players have been so widely praised for their work ethic and daily sacrifices by the many people who have shared their day-to-day lives with him over the years. And the same applies to the example he sets for the academy players, for whom he is a role model.

Like any ending, there is a significant element of sadness. Because injuries have prevented him from further cementing his legend, and because these last few months have been more turbulent and controversial internally.

In any case, what is half a season compared to a lifetime of dedication and success? A minor blip that should not in the slightest overshadow all that has been achieved and the manner in which it was achieved.

Carvajal exit will be emotional, but it is the right time

Analysis by Colin Millar

Two years ago, Carvajal played a starring role as both Real Madrid and Spain were crowned champions of Europe.

He was a fixture in Madrid’s starting line-up as Carlo Ancelotti’s side won La Liga and the Champions League, with Carvajal scoring the opening goal in the final victory over Borussia Dortmund.

That summer, Carvajal again impressed as Spain deservingly won Euro 2024 and established himself as arguably the world’s best, and most consistent, right-back.

The two years since have seen Carvajal, now 34, suffer a serious knee injury and subsequent fitness setbacks which have seen him displaced in Madrid’s first-choice team and Spain’s senior squad.

Alexander-Arnold has now established himself as Madrid’s starting right-back since joining last summer while Pedro Porro, of Tottenham Hotspur, is first-choice for De la Fuente’s international side.

Carvajal still has hopes of making Spain’s World Cup squad, but with just four clubs start since September that is increasingly unlikely and a departure from Madrid, where he is a bona fide legend, feels like the right time.