Real Madrid are currently in the process of a major rebuild and even though that takes some time to get finalized, it also means that they cannot let any opportunities pass that would see them bring in some more cash for players that are not exactly needed at the club.
At the moment, it’s no secret that Los Blancos want to offload some players and if any interested buyers call them up in January, the club will not hesitate to say no. Almost everyone is ‘sellable’ but there are a few who are more sellable than others.
Jesus Vallejo
After joining Real Madrid as a promising youngster who would be very beneficial to the club in the future, Jesus Vallejo has gone out on numerous loans to clubs such as Real Zaragoza and Granada but things really didn’t work out for the Spanish defender.
He never reached the heights that many hoped he would reach while other players that came in were always better than him. At the moment, Vallejo is the fourth choice defender at Real Madrid behind David Alaba, Eder Militao, and Nacho Fernandez, and there is even talk of Ferland Mendy being shifted to the center before Carlo Ancelotti ponders the idea of starting Vallejo.
The defender has been a great professional and has been more than respectful to the club since his arrival. He never created any problems and has always made sure to do what is asked of him. He’s a great asset to the club in terms of how he is as a person but unfortunately, he’s simply not good enough on the pitch. We have seen him struggle to mark players with Spain, we have seen him passed so easily in a few training videos during his time at the club and there is a genuine reason to believe that he would be a liability if he were on the pitch.
The reason that he has stayed is simply that there are no buyers for him, but if a club were to come and ask for his services, there is no doubt that the club would be willing to negotiate even if that means losing a central defender halfway through the season. If he stays, he will be used very sporadically but that won’t be enough to keep him. If there is money coming in for him, he will be leaving in January.
Dani Ceballos
After spending the past couple of seasons on loan at Arsenal, Dani Ceballos has always made it crystal clear that his plan has always been and will always be to succeed at Real Madrid. The time spent at Arsenal was time that he spent improving himself and trying to return to the club as the best version of himself that he can be and there’s no doubt about it: He’s good. However, he hasn’t ever truly impressed.
Ceballos is another player who has failed to reach the heights that have been set for him and even though that’s not entirely his fault, that’s how life is at Real Madrid for many of the younger players that come through.
Zinedine Zidane was never truly a fan of his and even though Carlo Ancelotti would be willing to give him opportunities, the Spanish midfielder, unfortunately, hasn’t gotten any chance to play this season as he continues being sidelined with an injury that he received with the Spanish team last summer. As time goes on and we find ourselves closer to the January transfer market, Los Merengues won’t back down from negotiations if a team were willing to pay for the services of Dani Ceballos.
Because he hasn’t played this season so far, his price won’t be too high but anything is good for Real Madrid at the moment as Ceballos leaving would mean that they get a fee for him and they are able to get him off the books with the wages that he earns. With a big summer coming up for Los Blancos, every little bit counts whether it’s transfer fees, wages off the books, or simply players off the roster so that space is created for new players that can take their place in the final squad.
Isco
Another midfielder that could potentially say goodbye to Real Madrid this winter is Isco. Even though Carlo Ancelotti does see him as a problem solver at some moments whether as a starter or off the bench, it’s clear that he isn’t exactly ‘untouchable’ in the team.
The former Malaga midfielder has had a lot of ups and downs during his Real Madrid career so far but one thing that remained consistent was his inconsistency. Every manager that came into Real Madrid had issues with Isco’s lack of consistency in the team and it looks like Ancelotti has seen it as well.
Therefore, the Spaniard is definitely someone who could be on the list to leave especially with his contract ending in June as he’s expected to leave by this summer either way. They will surely not get too much for him if someone decides to pay rather than wait for a contract battle in the summer but anything is better than nothing.
It seems quite clear that the club will not be willing to extend Isco’s contract and they will always choose to sell rather than allowing a player to leave for free (such as what happened with Raphael Varane to Manchester United last summer).
Mariano Diaz
Surprisingly, this is one of the least likely transfers that could potentially happen but it’s also the most obvious one that needs to happen. Mariano Diaz has proven to be a failed transfer by the club and they have been trying to find ways to offload him for a couple of years now ever since he arrived at the club from Lyon under Julen Lopetegui. However, because he is under contract they cannot exactly force anything and he does not want to leave – whether permanently or on loan. That does not mean that Real Madrid will stop trying though.
Mariano has had a couple of very bright moments in the team with goals against AS Roma and Barcelona coming to mind whenever trying to think back. However, he’s never been integral, and more often than not, he hasn’t been able to take full advantage of the limited opportunities offered to him. He is the third-choice striker behind Karim Benzema and Luka Jovic and with Jovic barely getting any chances to play, you can imagine just how hard it would be for Mariano to get a chance. Even when Jovic left for a six-month loan back to Eintracht Frankfurt and even then, Mariano didn’t have a chance to at least establish himself as the second choice.
Unlike some of the other players such as Vallejo, clubs would want Mariano but the problem will be convincing Mariano to move which has been an impossible task so far. Anything can happen though and he is surely one of the first players on the transfer list in January.
Luka Jovic
If we predict that Mariano Diaz will want to stay at the club and Real Madrid are not able to move him, could Luka Jovic be the one to move? There is definitely interest for the Serbian forward in the market but at the moment, he’s the second option behind Benzema and Ancelotti has a lot of trust in him. However, with the rumors of Erling Haaland possibly coming to Real Madrid in the summer, the club may choose to stay with Mariano as the second choice if a substantial offer arrives for Jovic in January.
It’s a difficult prediction to make given how badly the forward wants to succeed at Real Madrid but the one thing he wants more than that is to play especially since he is still quite young. However, a striker with his skill set isn’t someone who can necessarily make it at the club since the team requires an attacker who runs back and builds play which Jovic doesn’t do. He’s a great asset in the box though and could be really beneficial to the club but if it comes down to him or Haaland, the choice is quite clear.
It will be interesting to see how things progress between now and January but as things stand, he won’t be getting many chances to really make a mark and get the time he needs. You can’t blame Ancelotti for that though given Karim Benzema’s form the past few months as well.