Reports: Zinedine Zidane has decided to axe three Real Madrid players in the summer

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Don Balon, Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane has decided to axe the trio of Danilo, Fabio Coentrao and Mariano Díaz Mejía (who is supposed to go out on loan). The trio hasn't featured for Real Madrid in recent games, and look unlikely to do so even through Real Madrid are fighting for the La Liga and the Champions League.

In case you didn’t know..

Real Madrid's transfer ban is set to be lifted at the end of the season, and hence it is likely there will be quite the chopping and changing to the squad. 25-year-old Brazillian international Danilo arrived at Real Madrid from Porto last season for €31.5 million but hasn’t managed to become the first choice in the position ahead of Dani Carvajal.

Fabio Coentrao moved to Real Madrid from Benfica back in 2011, but since then his career at the Real has been curtailed due to injuries. He went on loan to Monaco last year but hasn’t been able to make an impression on Zinedine since his return.

Mariano was promoted to the Real Madrid first team last year, but since then the highly rated 23-year-old hasn’t been afforded chances to make a name for himself in the first team with the likes of Karim Benzema and Alvaro Morata ahead of him.

Heart of the matter

Zinedine Zidane hasn’t made a lot of changes to the squad since the Frenchman took over as the manager last season. But, the Real Madrid squad does need some freshening up if they are to hit the heights expected of them again and again.

Danilo, Coentrao, and Mariano have made a combined 28 appearances in all competitions this season.

What’s next?

Danilo made quite the name for himself during his time at Porto but hasn’t lived up to it since his transfer to Real Madrid. He is more than capable of making his mark at another top club, and expect quite a few suitors if he is put up on the market.

Fabio Coentrao is quite a curious case, as his career and his talent have been curtailed by injury. Not a lot of clubs would be interested in investing in a 28-year-old injury prone defender, but for him, a move back to Portugal where he gets regular game time would be welcome.

Mariano is unlikely to leave on permanent transfer just yet, and Madrid would probably send him out on loan to a La Liga side to monitor his progress.

Sportskeeda’s Take

These transfers seem highly plausible, with Real Madrid likely to freshen the squad and bring in a couple of new faces. The two full-backs especially have fallen off the radar and it is perhaps the right move for both the parties.