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During the summer transfer window of 2021, Real Madrid were forced to watch from the sidelines as English clubs dominated the headlines. In sharp contrast to their reputation, Los Blancos indulged in just two high-profile signings, acquiring David Alaba for free and Eduardo Camavinga for €31 million. Real Madrid also ended up selling more assets than they could replace, wrapping up another window with the sale of several first-team stars.
Notable players that Real Madrid have sold recently
Having offloaded their fabled centre-back partnership of Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos in the same window, the men in white were yet again left with a depleted squad. Despite having nominal depth in the full-back regions, Real Madrid sanctioned the vending of promising youngsters Achraf Hakimi and Sergio Reguilon in 2020.
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A year before, they inexplicably sold Mateo Kovacic to Chelsea without trying to unlock the talented Croatian's untapped potential. Similarly, Marcos Llorente has become an absolute world-beater at Atletico Madrid, having joined from their crosstown rivals in 2019. Theo Hernandez and Martin Odegaard are two other prospects sold prematurely by Real Madrid.
Despite their knack of selling valuable players for maximum profit, a considerable amount of deadwood currently sits in the Madrid squad. With Florentino Perez desperately chasing the signatures of Kylian Mbappe and reinforcements in other areas, the president will have to sacrifice some existing stars to fund his 'Galactico' signings. On that note, let's take a look at five players that Real Madrid should sell in 2022:
#5 Luka Jovic
At the time of writing, Luka Jovic is the seventh-most expensive signing in Real Madrid's history, ahead of the likes of Karim Benzema, Luis Figo and the Brazilian Ronaldo. Even so, Jovic has failed to find his footing in Spain, accumulating an embarrassing tally of just two goals in 38 appearances for Los Merengues.
Purchased during their infamous spending spree of 2019, Real Madrid inexplicably forked out €63 million for the Serbian's services. Having recorded 27 goals in his ultimate season with Eintracht Frankfurt, Jovic was expected to ease some pressure on Benzema, eventually inheriting the Frenchman's throne at the Bernabeu.
However, the 23-year-old forward has tanked massively in the Spanish capital. Even a mid-season loan spell at his former side Frankfurt in 2021 failed to revitalize his career. With a substantial decrease in his market value due to loss of form, Jovic is rated at a measly €20 million right now. Considering Benzema's red-hot form and the Serbian's inability to produce a decent output, Real Madrid will be wise to offload him as soon as possible.
#4 Dani Ceballos
In 2017, Dani Ceballos was one of the hottest properties in La Liga, attracting a lot of attention from every elite-level Spanish side. According to various reports, Barcelona were also interested in signing the promising youngster. With a fee of €16.5 million, Real Madrid successfully fended off competition from their Clasico rivals and landed Ceballos.
What initially appeared to be a coup has turned out to be an absolute nightmare for both the parties involved. In the subsequent four years, Ceballos has only managed to amass 56 appearances for the club. Furthermore, he has struggled to establish his own place in the first team, spending two seasons out on loan at Arsenal.
Interestingly, the Spaniard has more games for the Gunners under his belt than he has for Real Madrid. With the rise of Federico Valverde and the arrival of Eduardo Camavinga, chances of Ceballos staging a late comeback at Real Madrid appear dim. As a result, Real Madrid should start preparing for the sale of the 25-year-old midfielder as soon as he recovers from his current injury.
Also read: 5 players Barcelona should sell in 2022
#3 Borja Mayoral
Serving the fourth loan spell of his Real Madrid career, Borja Mayoral is yet to make an impact of any kind with his parent club. Having graduated from the esteemed La Fabrica, Mayoral has only spent a handful of seasons with the senior squad.
In 33 appearances for Los Blancos, the young Spaniard has managed to net seven goals and provide a further four assists. While his tally for Real Madrid is average at best, it comes off as satisfactory when his inconsistent game time is taken into consideration. Moreover, Mayoral has impressed in flashes with Roma, scoring 17 goals in 49 games.
While it is apparent that there is definitely a decent player in Mayoral, to see him succeed as Real Madrid's primary goal-getter looks far-fetched. At 24, the centre-forward has plenty of time to prove his worth. However, with Real Madrid clearly not having any future plans for the youngster, selling him for a sizeable fee would arguably be Los Blancos' best option.
#2 Mariano Diaz
The third striker on this list, Mariano Diaz is easily one of the most out-of-place first-team members at Real Madrid. A product of the club's distinguished academy, Mariano was bought back by the club for €21.8 million in 2018, following an impressive spell with Olympique Lyon.
On his return, the Dominican international was handed the No.7 jersey, vacated by the Juventus-bound Cristiano Ronaldo. With the pressure to succeed Real Madrid's all-time top scorer literally resting on his back, Mariano failed miserably to produce anything substantial.
Currently entering his fifth season with Real Madrid, the 28-year-old attacker will certainly spend the majority of his time on the bench. Los Blancos desperately need an adequate understudy for the all-firing Karim Benzema and offloading deadwood like Mariano would go a long way in achieving that.
#1 Gareth Bale
In the early 2010s, Gareth Bale was one of the most feared widemen on the planet, with full-backs dreading at the idea of facing his pace. The Welshman famously incapacitated Brazilian stalwart Maicon in Tottenham's 3-4 Champions League defeat to Inter in 2010, announcing himself to the world in the process.
After a lengthy and exhausting pursuit of the budding youngster, Real Madrid finally landed Bale's signature in 2013 for a then record fee of €101 million. The transfer was labeled as a deal made in heaven, with Bale touted to achieve supreme greatness at the Bernabeu.
Eight years later, he is arguably the biggest liability for Los Blancos. Injuries and constant tussles with the coaching staff have massively derailed his Real Madrid career. With a weekly wage in excess of €600,000, Bale is consistently burning a colossal hole in the club's pocket.
Considering their financial restraints and ambition to capture Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid will have to offload the 32-year-old Wales international as soon as possible.
Also read: 5 players Barcelona should have never sold
