REAL MADRID
Real Madrid need to trim their winger options from eight to four
Rodrygo and Hazard have just arrived as Real Madrid look to clear room on the wings by getting rid of three players with eight names on the list.
Real Madrid have made five signings for next season. Hazard, Rodrygo, Militao, Jovic and Mendy. Two wingers, one central defender, a striker and a full-back. Of those five, two of them are wide attackers and it's an area where Real Madrid are overcrowded. They will need to adjust their squad with departures to fix it before the start of the season.
There are now eight players vying for two places on either side of the number nine in Zinedine Zidane's team next season. It's unclear as to where the Brazilian, Rodrygo, will play next season but he made it clear that his best position is on the left and he will play wherever Zidane wants him to play, which includes dropping down to Real Madrid Castilla. The players left looking for minutes are Brahim, Lucas Vázquez, Odegaard, Vinicius, Asensio and Bale.
Eight names and four positions, five at most. The fifth could be Rodrygo as a player who floats between the first team and the second team, getting minutes and not just sitting on the bench. If that is the case, a minimum of three players will have to leave.
Departures coming at Real Madrid
The clearest departure is Bale, who is not in Zidane's plans. The Welsh attacker and his agent have said that he is happy in Madrid and isn't keen on a loan. He also has the €15 million a yet net that he makes and won't be compromising that with a move. They are hoping that Bale realises that if he stays, his place will be on the bench or the stand.
The other departure will be Odegaard. He is not quite ready to make the jump to the first team and has been in Real Sociedad most recently and Bayer Leverkusen before that as he tries to decide between the two. Perez has blind faith that he will succeed in the future but just not yet.
The third exit could be either Brahim, Asensio or Lucas Vazquez with the club becoming more stubborn in Vinicius. They are hoping this is the season he makes a statement even if Zidane hasn't shown too much faith in him too far. Asensio is relying on the support of the club but El Larguero reported recently that if a substantial offer arrived, they would look at it. Vázquez has not recorded his best season but he has given Zidane plenty of top performances in the past. The manager likes Brahim plenty but his youth and inexperience could lead them to loaning him out. If Zidane gets his way, that won't happen and so Vázquez looks like the odd man out as Real Madrid look to fix their overcrowded flanks.