Five to leave as Ancelotti plans to revamp his squad this January.
Despite a decent start to the season this year, Real Madrid may feel they are under-achieving slightly given their ambitious summer spending. Along with appointing new manager Carlo Ancelotti to replace Jose Mourinho, who had brought much disharmony to the Bernebau towards the end of his troubled reign, the Spanish giants also splashed out on top players such as Isco, Asier Illarramendi, Daniel Carvajal, and, most notably, world-record transfer Gareth Bale, who arrived from Tottenham for an incredible fee of £85m.
Still, there are a few targets Real missed out on during the summer, with Luis Suarez a prime example, and as Florentino Perez looks to get his checkbook out again this January, several unwanted players are set to make way first. With a few big names said to be unsettled by goings on at the club, there will be some exciting transfers available that have already got the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal thinking. CaughtOffside can exclusively reveal the five names set for the axe at the Bernabeu…
Iker Casillas
In one of the strangest transfer sagas in recent times, Real Madrid look set to inexplicably part company with one of their best-ever players. Having first been dropped by Jose Mourinho last season, Carlo Ancelotti has continued to keep Iker Casillas out of his starting lineup, preferring Diego Lopez in goal to the experienced Spanish international.
Casillas, who has won everything there is to win in the game at both club and international level, is widely regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers of his generation and one of the greatest and most loyal players in Real Madrid’s great history. The 32-year-old has been at the club for his entire career, but may now have to leave as he no longer looks to be the first choice.
Real are supposedly happy to listen to offers from any number of interested parties, including Premier League giants Manchester City and Arsenal, and other big names around Europe such as PSG, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund. Casillas will bring in a fee of around £20m and surely be a great signing for whoever picks him up.
Fabio Coentrao
Merely a squad player at the Bernabeu, Fabio Coentrao came close to leaving Real Madrid during the summer as the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham pursued him. The Portuguese international’s proposed move to Old Trafford eventually fell through late on on transfer deadline day, but he is still expected to be made available this January and could continue to attract some attention.
Coentrao certainly has little hope of displacing the excellent Marcelo as first choice left-back, but could be a good signing for United or Spurs if they manage to bring him in. Although United initially wanted to take the 25-year-old on loan, Real will push for a sale as they look to raise funds for their own transfer work, and may demand a fee of around £10m for this backup full-back.
Xabi Alonso
One of the finest midfield playmakers in the game for much of the last decade, Xabi Alonso is now seen as being past his peak for Real Madrid, and is one of the five names set to go on the transfer list this season. With Carlo Ancelotti said to be targeting an improvement to his midfield options by pursuing the likes of Chelsea’s Ramires and Juventus’ Arturo Vidal, there simply doesn’t seem to be any room for Alonso in the side anymore.
The Spanish international is currently out injured, but that won’t put off the likes of Chelsea and his former side Liverpool from making offers for him this January. The 31-year-old would make an excellent addition to the Reds in particular, who never truly replaced his influence in the middle of the park when he left Anfield in 2009.
Juventus are also said to be interested as they themselves face the potential departure of midfield veteran Andrea Pirlo, for whom Alonso would represent a like-for-like replacement.
Sami Khedira
Another midfield player to make way as Ancelotti shakes up his squad is German international Sami Khedira, who is unsettled at the club after feeling undervalued by the supporters and the Spanish press.
The 26-year-old has been a key performer for Real Madrid since joining the Spanish giants from Stuttgart in 2010, though he has reportedly been unhappy as well since the departure of his fellow countryman and friend Mesut Ozil to Arsenal during the summer, and could follow his colleague in swapping La Liga for the Premier League.
Khedira certainly won’t be short of suitors this January as the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea have been alerted to his potential availability, while PSG were supposedly keen on him during the summer. Although Real are hoping to sell him as they target other big-name midfield targets, they will still hope to command a reasonably high fee in the region of £20m, as Khedira remains a highly-regarded talent in the European game.
Karim Benzema
Finally, Real Madrid will try again to sell Karim Benzema when the transfer window re-opens, having failed to do so during the summer. The French striker has become somewhat unpopular with the club’s fans over a perceived lack of effort as well as some poor form over the last few months.
However, on his day Benzema is undoubtedly still capable of being a world class performer, and one of the most deadly finishers in the game, leading to strong interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Inter Milan as January approaches, with all the clubs mentioned likely to be willing to pay as much as £45m to capture the 25-year-old.
The significant financial boost this sale would give Real will almost certainly see them table a big-money bid to Liverpool for Luis Suarez, who is seen as the ideal replacement upfront for the misfiring Benzema. Suarez has been one of the best players in the Premier League for the last year or so and was a top target for Los Blancos along with Bale during the summer, though they failed to bring in both as they could not offload Benzema at the time.