Cristiano Ronaldo sparked plenty of speculation after his post-Champions League final comments over his future at Real Madrid.
With somewhat of a questionable sense of timing given that the Spanish giants had just created history after winning their third consecutive European trophy, the Portuguese superstar raised doubts over his stay at the Bernabeu, as reported by Sky Sports.
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It remains to be seen whether or not he seeks a move away after the World Cup with his current focus on events in Russia, but reports in Spain claim that he is making significant demands in order to stay and be a focal point under new boss Julen Lopetegui.
According to Diario Gol, as re-reported by The Express, he wants Isco, Gareth Bale, Mateo Kovacic and Theo Hernandez to exit, while question marks are also raised over the likes of Borja Mayoral, Marcos Llorente, Achraff Hakimi and Jesus Vallejo.
Further, it’s added that he wants three signings, although no names are put forward in that part of the report to suggest who might be on the Real Madrid radar this summer.
As he continues to deliver on the biggest of stages, there is perhaps an argument to suggest that Madrid should be doing their utmost to keep Ronaldo happy and ensure that they continue to benefit from his quality for the more immediate future.
However, particularly in the case of Isco given he has worked with Lopetegui through the various youth levels and with the senior squad in the Spain set-up, and flourished, it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll be one of the names to be sacrificed this summer.
With key players now aged 30 or over across the squad, Real Madrid may need to consider a rebuild of sort at some stage. Whether or not it comes at the behest of Ronaldo remains to be seen.