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Having completed most of their transfer acquisitions, Real Madrid would now turn their attention to departures as they seek to free up space in their squad and raise funds for any other purchases.
The club has so far raised €115m from the sale of four players, but with over a month left to go before the transfer window shuts, Los Blancos would still hope to offload some more in light of their pursuit of other players like Paul Pogba.
On that note, we highlight six players that Real Madrid should get rid of before the start of next season.
#1 Gareth Bale
Of all the names on this list, Gareth Bale's would probably prove the most difficult to offload and the reasons are not far fetched.
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This is not in anyway to suggest that the Welsh international is a bad player. Far from it; as a matter of fact - on his day - Gareth Bale ranks high up there with the best in the world.
His PFA Player of the Year winning performances with Tottenham proved that, while there have also been fleeting signs of his quality with Real Madrid.
Having established that the wing wizard is a player of quality, it stands to reason that Real Madrid should want him within their ranks or at least easily find buyers for a player of his ability.
However as stated earlier, there are a number of mitigating factors to Bale's transfer. For starters, at 30, he has few years of optimum performance left in him and unless you're named Ronaldo (or ostensibly Messi), nobody is going to spend an exorbitant sum on a 30-year-old.
There is also the not so small matter of his huge salary outlay which currently stands at £350,000 per week. Only a handful of clubs can afford such wages and none is willing to foot the bills.
Last but not least is the fact the the former Totttenham man is notoriously injury prone and no side would want to build their plans around a player whose fitness cannot be vouched for.
The fans have not warmed up to him after six years at the club, and with Bale having fallen out with most of his teammates, Real Madrid would be doing all in their power to pull off the unlikely feat of a Gareth Bale sale.
In fact, Zinedine Zidane officially announced that the winger is close to leaving Madrid and added that he hopes Bale leaves as soon as possible.
#2 James Rodriguez
It would not be wrong to suggest that James Rodriguez has failed to match the lofty expectations of him when he signed for Real Madrid in the summer of 2014.
Back then, having just starred at the World Cup, a 23-year-old James Rodriguez was a king with the world at his feet, and there was no kingdom more royal than perhaps the most royal of them all to act as the pedestal through which he could conquer the world.
However, his sojourn at Real Madrid did not exactly go to plan, as just two seasons into his spell, he lost his starting spot and was shipped out on a two-year loan to Bayern Munich a year later.
At Bayern, things initially looked bright for him under the management of Carlo Ancelotti and there were loud whispers that the move would be made permanent, but the Italian's sack and subsequent replacement with Niko Kovac spoiled the party, as James Rodriguez and the 47-year-old did not get along.
This prompted a return to Real Madrid and with Zidane seemingly not a fan of the Colombian international, it is all but certain that he has no future at Real Madrid.
The fact that James has just one year left on his current Real Madrid contract makes selling him a priority for Los Blancos rather than losing him for free next season. A reunion with Ancelotti at Napoli has been mooted, while Atletico Madrid are also supposedly interested.
#3 Dani Ceballos
In the current Real Madrid squad, there are four senior central midfielders and of the quartet, Dani Ceballos is the most expendable.
At 22, he is older than Federico Valverde (who can still be given the privilege of acting as an understudy), but the fact that Ceballos was still a part of the Spanish youth side that triumphed at the recently concluded Euro Under-21 Championship is indicative of his stagnation.
He has not made the progress expected of him and this is through no fault of his, as the Real Madrid midfield is one of the most talented on the planet.
Having four first team central midfielders is not necessarily a bad thing, as the grueling and arduous nature of a footballing season in Europe means that as many legs as possible are needed to ensure rotation and maintain freshness.
However, if Real Madrid are to proceed with their mission to sign Pogba as expected, space would have to be created in the middle and the player to vacate would likely be Dani Ceballos.
#4 Mariano Diaz
The most overcrowded department in the current Real Madrid squad is undoubtedly the attack force, as no fewer than 11 men are all vying for three starting roles or less.
The roll call of current Real Madrid forwards reads: Vinicius Jr, Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Brahim Diaz, Lucas Vasquez, Luka Jovic, Borja Mayoral, Rodrygo, Gareth Bale, Mariano Diaz.
Of the 11, Hazard is probably the only guaranteed starter. Benzema and Jovic would likely alternate for starts or play together depending on Zidane's tactics, Vinicius was brilliant last season and the coming campaign has been earmarked to be his breakout season, Asensio is the poster boy for young Spanish players and a firm Zidane favorite, Gareth Bale has the problems listed prior, Rodrygo is a new arrival and would be given chances.
Of all the players above 22 years in attack, It is most difficult to make a case for Mariano Diaz remaining at the club. (more on Lucas Vazquez later)
The 25-year-old was re-signed from Lyon last season in light of Ronaldo's departure and was surprisingly handed Real Madrid's hallowed number 7 jersey.
It is safe to say that the former Lyon man did not do justice to either the legendary jersey number or his Real Madrid legacy.
Mariano failed to contribute anything significant to Real Madrid's cause as their season descended into mayhem, and it would be very surprising if he remains at the club next season.
#5 Borja Mayoral
Having been a part of the Real Madrid youth setup from 2007, Borja Mayoral made a step up to the senior team in 2015.
Multiple loan spells have followed since then, with Wolfsburg and Levante acquiring his services on temporal basis.
In his four years as a professional Real Madrid player, the 22-year-old has made just 20 LaLiga appearances, scoring three goals in the same period.
Earlier on in his career, Mayoral was compared to the legendary Raul, but at this stage, the former Real Madrid captain was already an established regular at club and international level as well as one of the most feared strikers in the world. So it is safe to say that those comparisons would never yield results.
The arrival of Luka Jovic has made Mayoral's position even more untenable and with Real Sociedad having shown interest in his services, Real Madrid would do well to let him leave.
#6 Lucas Vasquez
With 10 major trophies won including three consecutive Champions League titles, Lucas Vasquez has won more honors in four years than many players achieve in a lifetime.
However, the Spanish international has not contributed too much to Real's successes, as he has been nothing more than a squad player for most of his Los Blancos career.
Vasquez was a late bloomer, only getting his call up to the senior Real Madrid team in 2015 at the age of 24 and despite turning 28 some few months back, the Curtis native still has the feel and aura of an upcoming player.
Young players like Marco Asensio and Vinicius Jr are above him in the pecking order, while the arrival of Eden Hazard would make playing time even harder to come by for Vasquez.
He remains a dependable player who can be relied upon to perform backup duties every now and then and remaining at Real Madrid would surely guarantee a few more medals on the biggest stages.
However, for the sake of his legacy and to avoid being overshadowed at the Bernabeu, he might have to leave the comfort of the club and write a new story elsewhere.
