Gareth Bale will reportedly be one of the first players out the door this summer as Zinedine Zidane attempts to overhaul his underachieving Real Madrid squad, according to AS.
James Rodriguez, Lucas Vasquez, Mariano Diaz, Alvaro Odriozola, Alphonse Areola and Nacho Fernandez are also said to be part of the planned exodus.
Former Tottenham winger Bale last featured for Los Blancos back in February, but delivered a below-par showing in a 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo.
The 30-year-old failed to add to his tally of just three goals this season and has become enemy number one amongst Real Madrid supporters, after displaying a flag whilst on international duty which read ‘Wales, golf, Madrid.’
His struggles have caused Zidane to lose faith with the Welshman, and Bale’s long injury-list also compounded tensions between the pair.
The La Liga giants are aware that they may not be able to offload all of their disgruntled stars, but they are hoping to raise around £105 million to invest in new players once the COVID- 19 pandemic has subsided.
Columbian Rodriguez was sent out on loan to German champions Bayern Munich, while Bale has been continually linked with a return to the Premier League.
Rodriguez flourished in the Bundesliga, even admitting he wanted to stay after scoring 15 goals and providing 20 assists in 67 appearances for Der FCB.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have consistently been linked with bringing Bale back to England, however, it’s understood that Jadon Sancho is now Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s preferred choice.
Although transfer costs will likely be reduced in light of the coronavirus outbreak, interested clubs know the Spanish giants will still demand a large fee for one of their most-prized assets.
Bale currently earns around £600,000-per-week at Los Blancos, after tax, and his current contract does not come to an end until 2022.
Rodriguez, on the other hand only has one year left and it is likely he could be signed for a fraction of what Real paid for him after he won the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup.
Zidane is lining up this complete overhaul in hopes of getting his side ready to challenge for future Champions League honours.
The French legend has had a turbulent second stint at the Bernabeau, with an ageing squad and lack of star quality at the forefront of his concerns, but Zizou will do whatever it takes to get the club back to winning ways after he earned three consecutive Champions League titles from 2015-2018.
Borussia Dortmund’s teen sensation Erling Haaland is another name on Zidane’s transfer wish list as he also prepares for the eventual departure of club legend Karim Benzema.