With club captain Luka Modric departing following the FIFA Club World Cup, Carlo Ancelotti's departure is the first of the scheduled upgrades. After 13 years at Real Madrid, where the Croatian won several significant championships, Modric leaves the team. However, a second free transfer departure was also revealed following the team's victory against Real Sociedad in the season finale, as veteran defender Lucas Vazquez ends his ten-year tenure at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Galician-born Vazquez emerged through the Real Madrid youth system – before a loan stint at Espanyol in 2014/15 – and he signs off with 400 club appearances. Throughout his eleven years at Real Madrid, Vazquez has consistently shown his adaptability under different managers, alternating between right wing and right back.