It is fair to say things have not gone to plan this season for reigning European champions Real Madrid, in La Liga anyway. While Los Blancos are in the Champions League last-16 and looking good to get to the quarter-finals, they currently languish in fourth place in La Liga.
The situation has led to talk about a squad overhaul and managerial changes. This is now the standard reaction to the Spanish champions enduring a difficult season.
Question marks over the BBC
The much vaunted BBC of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo have rather become old hat to some followers of Real Madrid. At various points in the season, all three have been linked with moves elsewhere.
For some reason, Benzema has always seemed like the scapegoat if things have gone wrong at the Bernabeu in recent years. Granted he is not as prolific as he could be, but the French striker is a good focal point for the Los Blancos attack.
At 30, he is hardly one for the future, though and reports from Spain suggest his time is up in the Spanish capital. The striker has survived this sort of speculation for the last few seasons, though. He is always well liked by club president Florentino Perez.
Gareth Bale is once again being touted for a return to the Premier League. The Wales international has not enjoyed the best of times in Madrid with injuries. At times this season, he has been a highly influential player when on the pitch.
Then we come to the big man himself, Ronaldo. The 33-year-old is a club and football legend. Some have criticised the veteran Portuguese international for having a poor season, yet he has still scored 26 goals in 30 appearances.
Ronaldo reportedly wanted to leave Madrid in the summer after a tax row. The speculation will likely once against kick off in the lead up to the summer.
Players linked with moves to Real Madrid
A number of high-profile players have been linked with summer moves to the Spanish capital. The latest player reportedly on Los Blancos; summer shopping list is Manchester City’s brilliant Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne.
The former Chelsea star has only recently signed an improved deal with the Citizens. However, that has not stopped the Spanish press suggesting that he could make a move to Real in a deal worth £177million this summer.
A number of other Premier League stars have also reportedly appeared on Real Madrid’s shopping list including, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Chelsea pair Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard.
In fact, the former has been permanent linked with a move to Spanish capital in the last three seasons.
The biggest name linked with a move to the Spanish capital has been Brazilian superstar Neymar. The former Barcelona forward has been heavily linked with a return to Spain, despite only moving to PSG last summer for a world record £200million.
Signing Neymar would be a major coup for Real Madrid. However, it is unclear if a deal to sign the forward is viable.
Boss could leave Real Madrid
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is a club legend. This season’s poor performance in La Liga has apparently affected the Frenchman’s standing with the clubs hierarchy. According to reports from the Spanish media, Zidane could well leave the club in the summer.
Zidane has been majorly successful in his two and a half year stint in the capital. However, Los Blancos have a history of sacking successful bosses, just ask Carlo Ancelotti.
Los Blancos still remain one of the favourites to win the Champions League at 11/2. It is quite possible that Real and Zidane could win Europe’s elite competition and the Frenchman could still leave this summer.
The team’s performances in the Spanish top-flight have not been good enough, especially for defending champions. The European champions have been relatively quiet in signing players in recent windows. Something tells me that could well change this summer.
