Most of the transfer talk surrounding Real Madrid has been centred on potential incomings, with the money saved for Kylian Mbappe’s incorporation burning a hole in Florentino Perez’s pocket.
In terms of numbers though, there could be more exits than arrivals at Valdebebas. Marca are reporting that Real Madrid have a list of nine players that will be allowed to leave the club under the right conditions.
Three of them are already confirmed departures. Marcelo, Gareth Bale and Isco Alarcon have all bid their farewells with their deals expiring this summer under the understanding they will not be offered new deals.
Reserve goalkeeper Andriy Lunin could also leave this summer in order to gain first-team minutes, although it will likely be on loan.
Luka Jovic is determined to leave the club having been thoroughly forgotten about by every manager since he arrived in Madrid, with Milan cited as a possible destination.
Real Madrid are also looking to move on Mariano Diaz. The Spanish striker has previously rejected several offers to depart the Santiago Bernabeu but seemingly is more open to leaving this time round.
Jesus Vallejo is another name that Real Madrid wouldn’t mind moving on. The central defender arrived at the club with plenty of promise back in 2015 but having struggled to live up to it, has instead been an emergency option for Carlo Ancelotti. However any transfer will be tricky, as the player is happy to continue at the club, even if it means scarce playing time.
The two more complicated cases are Marco Asensio and Dani Ceballos. The former has a year left on his contract and so far has been unable to agree on a new one – he wants to feel important and may well leave in order to do so. Real Madrid’s third-top scorer last season, Asensio struggled to hold down a spot in the latter part of the season but is back in the Spain squad.
Meanwhile Ceballos has been linked with a move back to Real Betis and is in the same contract situation as Asensio. Despite performing well towards the end of the season, Real Madrid appear reluctant to put their faith in him long-term.
It has felt as if there was a significant drop off in quality after the starting XI in Madrid for some time and if Los Blancos can supply Ancelotti with a leaner but more trusted bench, it could significantly aid their chances of retaining the La Liga title for the first time since 2008.
