Sergio Ramos and Lucas Vazquez renewals at a standstill

With January coming to an end and Luka Modric's renewal taken care of, Sergio Ramos and Lucas Vazquez's Real Madrid contract issues remain unresolved.

The point of no return hasn't been reached yet, but things aren't going in the right direction for two of Zinedine Zidane's most important players, and they're not being helped by the economic situation brought on by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Real Madrid's higher ups are still trying desperately to balance the club's finances, in order to avoid a situation similar to what is being seen at Barcelona and their huge losses. Florentino Perez has always put his head before his heart for decisions like this, and he's doing the same while discussing renewals for two of his most trusted squad members.

Offers have been put to both Ramos and Lucas, and each has been rejected, with no movement from any of the parties since then. There isn't a lot of optimism around the situation at the moment, and the players are free to talk to other clubs.

Around 18 months ago, Europe's elite sides entered into a non-aggression pact regarding signing players from one another. Those involved included Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, and some others, in a move that was designed to prevent skyrocketing transfer fees, as well as backhanded moves.

Communication between them is fluid, and although they are rivals they share a common strategy. The pact was respected last summer when Manchester City and PSG quickly backed off in pursuit of Lionel Messi when Barcelona refused to negotiate.

Something similar happened around David Alaba, as Real Madrid only moved for him once Bayern announced that they wouldn't be keeping hold of him. Several teams have already contacted Los Blancos to let them know that there has been no approach for Ramos or Lucas, at least officially.