Real Madrid have gone through a bitterly disappointing season this year, and it could reportedly mark major changes to the squad this summer.
Aside from crashing out of the Champions League and Copa del Rey this month, Los Blancos sit 12 points adrift of La Liga leaders and rivals Barcelona.
In turn, they look set to end the campaign empty-handed, and given their history and the level of expectation, that will simply be unacceptable for all concerned.
With that in mind, after Zinedine Zidane’s return was announced last week, it is now suggested that the French tactician could oversee a huge overhaul of the squad at the Bernabeu.
As reported by Sportmediaset, it’s claimed that up to nine players could face the threat of an exit this summer, with Dani Ceballos, Marcos Llorente and Federico Valverde said to be most at risk.
However, they are joined by Jesus Vallejo, Marcelo, Isco, Gareth Bale, Keylor Navas and Mariano Diaz, although it remains to be seen how Zidane’s return influences their respective futures.
Navas, Marcelo and Isco were all reintroduced to the starting line-up in the 2-0 win over Celta Vigo at the weekend, and have previously been key figures in the Madrid coach’s plans.
Nevertheless, if he is planning for the long-term and to freshen things up to not only create space in the squad but to also raise potential transfer funds for his summer spending spree, then Zidane could be prepared to make difficult decisions ahead of next season.
Those are the names that are said to be at risk, but nine is a significant number of players to sell in one transfer window. In turn, Real Madrid will need to be sure that they add sufficient quality and depth in their place to ensure that they can compete on multiple fronts next year.