3 players Real Madrid should sell to balance the books

Real Madrid have enjoyed a busy transfer market recently, as the club secured the signing of Rodrygo Goes, Eder Militao, Luka Jovic, Eden Hazard, and Ferland Mendy. Unfortunately, FIFA will force Real Madrid to comply with Financial Fair Play rules due to the club's lavish spending.

Both Militao and Jovic's arrival have cost Madrid around €100 million combined while Hazard's transfer will be worth more than that. Thus, the Spanish side have spent nearly €300 million even before Mendy's transfer materializes.

If the club's current financial state continues, they will surely breach the fair play rules. Hence, Real Madrid fans can expect their club to have several departures in the summer due to the recent transfer frenzy. Here, we will take a look at Madrid's 3 possible sales to balance the books.

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#3 James Rodriguez

James currently has €50 million market value

The Colombian midfielder joined Real Madrid's list of galacticos after arriving from AS Monaco in 2014. Sadly, the 27-year-old has failed to justify his colossal £63 million fee so far. He did impress in his debut campaign for the Los Blancos, amassing 29 La Liga starts and scoring 13 times.

However, he saw significantly reduced game times after manager Carlo Ancelotti departed from the La Liga outfit, with the player managing to claim just 17 starts from 26 league appearances. His situation got worse, and Real Madrid eventually dumped him to Bayern Munich in 2017.

Now, he seems to have nowhere to play, as Bayern and Madrid are reluctant to keep him. The Bundesliga champions decided not to trigger his €42 million buy-out option following James's disappointing season.

Nevertheless, Los Blancos could still coup a considerable amount of cash from the Colombian's potential sale. James currently has a €50 million market value, and his most recent stats have been pretty excellent. He has recorded 7 goals and 4 assists despite starting just 13 times this term.

#2 Nacho Fernandez

Nacho has failed to cement his place at the Bernabeu

The 29-year-old was a prominent figure for Real Madrid Castilla, captaining the Blancos junior team and amassing more than 85 starting appearances in the Spanish lower tier. Then Los Blancos boss Jose Mourinho promoted Nacho into the first team alongside Alvaro Morata in 2012.

Unfortunately, the Spanish defender's senior career was not as good as many expected, as he became a bit part player for 3 seasons after earning his promotion. He has got a breath of fresh air since Zinedine Zidane took over for the first time as Real Madrid senior coach.

However, he has still found himself as a backup player to Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane at the center back position. Zidane did try to play him as a fullback at occasions to give him more game time, but Marcelo and Dani Carvajal have cemented their first choice status for the role.

Now, the arrival of €50 million-rated Eder Militao will only increase his burden. Thus, Real Madrid might have no choice apart from selling him. Nacho's market price might have dipped following Los Blancos' recent disastrous campaign, but the player could still be sold for around €30 million.

#1 Gareth Bale

The Welshman's time at the Bernabeu seems up at the moment

Real Madrid might have regretted to keep the Welshman, as the winger managed to score just 8 goals throughout the season. The Los Blancos paid a hefty €100 million to sign the former Tottenham Hotspur star in 2013, but they have struggled to utilize the 29-year-old appropriately so far.

Bale's career has been severely plagued by injuries and inconsistencies, despite having scored more than 70 league goals in his 6 seasons at the Bernabeu. His relationship with Zinedine Zidane has also seemed to deteriorate, as he started just 3 times in his last 6 matches under the Frenchman.

His future has now become increasingly uncertain following the arrival of Eden Hazard. The Belgian has officially joined Madrid in around €100 million deal, and the former Chelsea man will compete for a place at Real's tightly-packed flanks. Thus, the Spanish outfit would be forced to offload the unfortunate Welshman to free up space.

However, the club will have some difficulties in selling the winger due to his age and woeful injury record.