5 Players that should leave Real Madrid this summer

#3. Mateo Kovacic

Kovacic's time as a Real Madrid player looks to be over.

The Croatian midfielder has played a bit-part role for Real Madrid since he joined from Inter Milan in 2013 under Rafa Benitez. Brought in to supplement Luka Modric, Kovacic has looked good in bits during the three UCL-winning campaigns under Zidane.

Alongside Alvaro Morata, Isco, Rodriguez and others, they gave the Real Madrid bench a quality that would have been the envy of many teams across the world.

His loan spell at Chelsea did not go well as his ponderous, possession-for-possession-sake style failed to add anything to a Blues side that was admittedly problematic on its own.

The loan move has actually contributed to reducing his appeal to Europe's top clubs. With just two years left on his current contract, a possible renewal would be a bad idea for both club and player.

Given his relationship with Zidane - who has shown no desire to give him the game time he feels he deserves - Kovacic is almost certainly going to leave the club this summer.

It’s unclear what club he would be moving to but a move back to Serie A could be the best for him to restart his career.