Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is as ruthless as they come when it involves winning football matches, and whlie he has taken a liking to most of the talented Madrid squad, there are still a few players who are fighting to prove to the skipper that they deserve a chance in the 2026/27 La Liga campaign after two straight title defeats to bitter rivals Barcelona. Here are three players who are still on the roster bubble.
CM Eduardo Camavinga
Eduardo Camavinga is the player Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho have circled in red permanent marker as the next sale in order to bring in 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, widely viewed as the best No. 6 on the planet after reestablishing himself in the No. 1 spot by destroying Aurelien Tchouameni and Enzo Fernandez en route to winning the World Cup Golden Ball for Spain.
Rodri sees the whole field better than a quarterback and defends with the quality of a center back. His weight of passing, athleticism, and control of the midfield are all elite. This is the guy Camavinga is up against in terms of proving his roster spot, and despite getting a full 90 minutes to impress agianst Fiorentina, Camavinga, once again, showed why he does not have the weak foot, technical quality, or tactical understanding of a Real Madrid midfielder.
CB Raul Asencio
Alvaro Carreras could easily be named here, too, but it seems like Carreras's future, at least this summer, is pretty secure after last season's ill advised 50 million euro gamble at the now former manager Xabi Alonso's behest.
But while Carreras is locked in as Marc Cucurella's No. 2, Raul Asencio is a player Jose Mourinho very much wants out the door for a center back upgrade - and many Madridistas would gladly take Spain's World Cup winner Aymeric Laporte over him.
CF Endrick
Endrick could yet leave Real Madrid on loan, and while the blow of selling Vinicius Junior to Arsenal could save one of the forward spots for the young Brazilian international, it's entirely unclear if Mourinho is convinced by Endrick as a potential starting option in 2026/27. After all, he immediately sanctioned the signing of Carlos Espi from Levante after selling Gonzalo Garcia to Fulham.
Again, barring the sale of Vinicius to Arsenal, Endrick does not have much time to prove his first team spot to Mourinho, who seems to be very keen on the idea of making him mature on loan for a full season despite an excellent six months in Lyon, the club of Karim Benzema.
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