It's time for Real Madrid to get serious about cleaning up their squad. They were humiliated by Barcelona all season long, effectively ceding the LaLiga title with a fourth straight Clasico defeat and a fourth straight defensive disasterclass against their eternal rivals in a 4-3 defeat.
Now, it's about looking towards the future with nothing really left to play for, all trophies lost, and Xabi Alonso set to come in to replace Carlo Ancelotti.
In order to get the players Alonso and Madrid want to upgrade their squad and win titles like LaLiga again next season, they are going to have to clean house and get rid of players who aren't meeting the standard required.
The key for Real Madrid is selling players who will obtain a decent financial return and will generate interest around world football. These can be experienced players with name recognition who are declining but are of interest to the Saudi Pro League or young, quality footballers who don't quite have the athleticism or the potential that Real Madrid want in their attacking players.
LB Ferland Mendy
Ferland Mendy has to be at the top of the Real Madrid shortlist to sell. He was serviceable in the past to the club because of his defensive prowess against the world's best wingers in the Champions League, but even his defensive qualities aren't what they used to be after a myriad of nagging injuries.
The Frenchman can scarcely get on the pitch for important matches these days. Worse yet, when he does play, his technical level is so below that of Real Madrid that he effectively hamstrings the entire attack and puts too much on Vinicius Junior's plate in terms of progression and creative responsibilities.
Mendy has just one year left on his contract, and if someone from the Saudi Pro League is willing to spend more than 30 million euros on him, that's money Real Madrid absolutely have to take. With Xabi Alonso coming in and set to change the formation to include wing backs, Mendy's limited attacking capabilities clearly won't fit the team.
CB David Alaba
Now 32 years old, David Alaba has experienced a decline that began after the 2021/22 season in which he was a hero of the defense in Real Madrid returning to the Champions League summit without either Cristiano Ronaldo or Sergio Ramos, whom Alaba replaced that previous summer.
Alaba's decline has now reached its near, as the Austrian international struggled to recover from a torn ACL last December. He has become untenable in the Real Madrid starting lineup, which became blatantly obvious when Bukayo Saka roasted him in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Real Madrid aren't going to find many suitors for Alaba, but, as with Mendy, he has the name recognition to interest the Saudi Pro League and may still be valuable there because of his technical quality as a passer. Real Madrid have to sell him this summer, because his contract, like Mendy's, expires at the end of the 2025/26 season.
FW Brahim Diaz
While Brahim Diaz is less of a priority to sell than the other two because Real Madrid mainly need to make exchanges in the defense, the Merengue club should seriously consider selling him.
Brahim was very good for Real Madrid in his first season, but the Copa del Rey Final Clasico exposed his weaknesses. If he isn't scoring or assisting, he isn't helping the team. Brahim is a moments player, but his moments mostly come against weaker opposition or when he's feeding off the scraps of his teammates.
The 25-year-old is no longer a young player. He doesn't have much upside. He is who he is. And who is he? A decent player who can finish and pass at a reasonable level but is nowhere near world-class. Brahim doesn't have the athleticism to play on the wings at Real Madrid.
He can't win one-on-ones, he doesn't track back well against better teams that are strong on the ball, and he often shirks in important moments that don't involve luck inside the box, as exemplified by his awful, costly error that led to Barcelona's winner in the Copa del Rey Final.
When you look at the statistics, Brahim averaged just 0.41 goals and assists per 90 in LaLiga and 0.51 in all competitions, the worst of all Real Madrid forwards. He is several classes below that of his attacking teammates, and even midfielders Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham offer significantly more threat.
Because Brahim is a decent player and relatively young, he has enough name recognition to fetch a fair amount of money on the transfer market. Real Madrid should cash in and pool together his money and money from a potential Rodrygo Goes sale to sign another superstar like Florian Wirtz with better end product and athleticism.
Whereas Real Madrid don't necessarily need to sell Rodrygo in order to win LaLiga next season, chopping off a player like Brahim who lacks sufficient individual quality is a bigger priority. His spot in the squad can be used on a higher-upside forward or perhaps even a wing back or superior defensive player as Real potentially shift to a back three formation under Xabi Alonso.