While the competitions are still ongoing, it’s reached that point of the season where rumors about potential player transfers begin to escalate. Particularly at Real Madrid where transfer drama almost always takes up a good portion of the storylines.
A lot has been made about transfers, but very little has been talked about players who could be leaving the club after this season. It’s still unclear who could be those players, but some news outlets have reported that there could be more than one “surprising” and even “painful” departure. With all the speculation, which players could be leaving Real Madrid after this season?
Luka Modric
Describing Modric’s future departure as “painful” would be an understatement. He’s not only been one of the best and most successful players of his generation, but the Croatian has also been a fantastic servant for the club. He’s always led by example and his calm personality has made him a fan favorite even amongst rival supporters.
However, not only has he lost his place within the team this season, but it’s become evident that Modric struggles to keep up with the pace of the game even when he comes on as a substitute. In fact, when he’s played as a starter, it’s affected the balance of the team and the midfield players get overworked as they must cover for Modric’s lack of mobility in defense.
Because of this, rumors began to circulate that the club has supposedly informed him that they will not be renewing his contract. Furthermore it’s also been reported that Modric is receiving interest from Inter Miami and several teams from the Saudi Arabian league. Regardless of the speculation, with his subpar form and the fact that the midfield is Real Madrid’s most covered position, there is a serious possibility that this could be Modric’s last season.
Nacho
If there is anything that Nacho’s been known for since becoming a first team player in 2012, it’s that he’s always been reliable. No matter the position or the opposition, he could always be counted on to put in a performance. It’s because of his reliability that saw him become a Spanish international and be a part of the 2018 World Cup squad, where he scored a goal in the opening match.
However, this season, Nacho has been everything but reliable. He’s been sent off on more than one occasion and has made several ridiculous errors at key moments.
His performances have been underwhelming to the point that Ancelotti has at times preferred to play Tchouaméni instead of Nacho at the center back position. Although it’s been reported that the club is looking to strengthen the center back position, it’s still unclear whether Nacho will continue or not.
Let’s not forget that Éder Militão (hasn’t played since the first league game of the season) and David Alaba (suffered his injury during before the holiday break) have been out after rupturing their ACL at different points during the season.
An injury that usually take players about 9 months to fully recover from, but there’s a difference between being fully fit and match fit. While Militão is almost recovered, Alaba won’t be back until sometime after the start of next season. With these concerns, the club must decide whether they should keep Nacho and hope he becomes reliable again or look at other alternatives.
Andriy Lunin
It’s remarkable how quickly a player’s value and perception can change. Despite being Thibaut Courtois’ backup keeper for the past few seasons, it looked as if Ancelotti didn’t have much faith in him after the Belgian suffered his severe injury.
Even after an injury to Kepa gave Lunin the opportunity to play a string of consecutive games, the Italian still didn’t seem convinced and spent a few months giving each keeper their chance to prove themselves.
But after all that, the Ukrainian international finally won over Ancelotti’s trust and has been the team’s undisputed starting keeper ever since. Lunin has not only been reliable, but his strong aerial presence brings calmness to the backline and he’s made crucial saves at key moments.
Now it’s being reported that the club wants to extend Andriy Lunin’s contract, which expires after next season. Lunin has shown he’s a quality keeper and can perform for a top team, which is why it wouldn’t be at all surprising if the club actually takes advantage of his good performances to put him on the market.
Let’s not forget that Courtois is expected to be fully recovered by the start of the preseason and there’s no question Ancelotti is going to give him every opportunity he can to help Courtois regain his old form. Not to mention that Lunin is still at a good age and there could be some important teams who could be looking for a new keeper next season.
If all this wasn’t enough, Lunin is beginning to regularly play with the Ukrainian national team and was the team’s starting keeper in their recent Euro play-off matches. When you take all this into account and seeing how the club’s hierarchy usually operates, the chances of Lunin being sold could be a serious possibility.
Aurélien Tchouaméni
It would be accurate to say that Tchouaméni hasn’t lived up to the expectations since making his 80 million move from AS Monaco last season.
Despite his good start, his form completely dropped after the World Cup and lost his place in the team. It was originally thought that Ancelotti had a portion of responsibility as he was always quick to take him off and was obsessed with playing Modric and Kroos at almost all times.
However, Ancelotti has been more patient with Tchouaméni this season, but he’s still not playing at the level that was expected. Worst of all, the most concerning thing isn’t his form, but his poor tactical understanding.
Every player has his areas that need improvement, but you would think a holding midfielder who was signed for a big fee would at least have a good tactical understanding and reading of the game. However, during games, Tchouaméni seems lost and at times doesn’t position himself correctly.
For example, in France’s international friendly against Germany, Tchouaméni immediately pushed up when Germany played the ball back from the kick-off and left the midfield completely abandoned.
Something that Germany took full advantage of as Toni Kroos (it’s almost as if he knew that Tchouaméni was going to be out of position) found an unmarked Florian Wirtz, who scored in the first few seconds of the match.
Even though he cost a hefty fee, there’s still a possibility that the club can recoup a good portion of what they paid for him last season. At the time of his transfer, he was one of the most sought after players and is still at a good age where teams could feel they can still get the best out of him.
Despite his current form, let’s not forget Tchouaméni is still a regular on the French squad and was the team’s starting holding midfielder during the last World Cup in Qatar.
Not to mention the amortization factor, which sees teams pay the players transfer fees over the length of his contract. With Tchouaméni, his 80 million transfer fee is being paid over the length of his 6-year contract.
When you do the math, there’s still between 53 million and 57 million that needs to be paid off. In which case, the club only needs an offer that matches the amount that hasn’t been amortized in order to simply balance the books. When you see the current transfer market and the deals being made for midfielders, selling an international French player for a big transfer fee should be achievable.
Vinícius or Rodrygo
If the rumors are true that Real Madrid could be on the verge of signing a certain world class attacking player, then there is no question that the club will sell either Vinícius or Rodrygo in order to balance both the squad and the financial books.
Both players have raised their performances in the past few seasons (one more than the other) and been instrumental in the club’s success, which has also increased their market value. But who will the club choose to sell?
Everything points to Rodrygo since there’s been constant speculation about his future. Apart from a brief period where he played on the left wing and was arguably the team’s best player, he’s been inconsistent this season and hasn’t really taken that definitive step necessary to become a world-class player.
However, the possibility of Vinícius being sold shouldn’t be ruled out since he’s been more instrumental to the team and would have the higher market value.
Regardless, a lot will also depend on whether the club actually makes that big name signing that’s been long talked about and the club’s hierarchy will have some big decisions to make. Will Vinícius and Rodrygo still be on the same team next season? We’ll find out soon enough.
Javier Martinez is a seasoned veteran of football coverage and an expert on Spanish football. He has been covering world football for more than seven years with bylines at outlets such as The 18 and The Real Champs.