After a disappointing season, which saw Real Madrid fail in their pursuit of both La Liga and the Champions League, there is expected to be much movement in the transfer window.
They've already brought in talented center-back Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth and one of European football's top right-backs, Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold. We'll see what happens with Franco Mastantuono, but reports out of Spain suggest Xabi Alonso's side is going to be quite active in the market.
Conventional wisdom suggests that having a large squad is what every ambitious club should strive for. Look at Manchester City in 2023 or Paris Saint-Germain this year; they had players at every single position who could come in and make an impact.
However, I would caution both Madridistas and Florentino Perez that acquiring as many players as possible solely for the sake of having a large squad is a disaster waiting to happen. If Real Madrid wants to be active in the market this summer, it needs to include offloading some players who are not part of the club's future plans.
One only needs to look at Manchester United, whose failure to offload players has left them with a bloated squad and a perilous future. So with that in mind, here are five players that Real Madrid should offload this summer so they can avoid that fate.
1. Fran Garcia
Fran Garcia was expected to give Real Madrid some more depth at left-back and to complement the more defensive-minded Ferland Mendy, with the more attacking-inclined Garcia.
Well, Garcia often didn't feature for Ancelotti's side in 2023/2024, as he was limited to just 25 games in La Liga, with Nacho and Mendy being preferred.
He had a larger role last season, but still often struggled defensively and failed to have the anticipated impact in attack.
Considering they only paid €5 million for the Spanish international, they should very easily make a decent profit on him. While he's not the level of player that Real Madrid are looking for, he's still a quality player and could attract considerable interest in both Spain and England.
He simply does not fit into this Real Madrid squad, and with a left-back likely arriving soon, he seems like a prime suspect to move on this summer.
2. David Alaba
The story of David Alaba at Real Madrid is one of tragedy. After arriving in 2021 on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, he was an instrumental part of the team in their remarkable double-winning season. Not just on the pitch, but in the dressing room, he was an incredibly valuable voice for the young players to be able to listen too.
Unfortunately, in December 2023, David Alaba ruptured his ACL against Villareal. It was an exceptionally long recovery, not returning until January of this year.
It was wonderful to see him back on the pitch, but his performances left a lot to be desired, as he lacked the speed, tenacity, and awareness that made him one of Europe's best defenders.
After suffering another injury to end the season, it's clear he will never return to his best form, and keeping him on the bench at his astronomical wage does not make sense. It's a tricky thing to swallow, as Alaba is beloved by fans and players alike. But for the good of the club, he should be moved on, as he is not at the level that the club requires.
3. Dani Ceballos
Next on the list is another player stuck on the end of Xabi Alonso's bench, the Spanish midfielder Dani Ceballos. The Spaniard featured 40 times in all competitions last season but failed to make a meaningful impact, registering 2 assists, and his performances failed to impress.
For the right club, he can certainly still put in a shift; he's a tough box-to-box midfielder who can pick out passes and won't hesitate to get into duels. He's been at the club since 2017, yet is only 28 years old, so he certainly still has some good years left, which should increase his value. With the number of talented young players coming through for Los Blancos, it makes absolutely no sense to have him taking up wages when he has likely already reached his ceiling.
A move back to his first club, Real Betis, seems to make a lot of sense, as he seems to want to remain in Spain (especially after his less-than-stellar loan spell at Arsenal). There isn't an urgency to sell Ceballos like there is for Paz, but offloading the midfielder should happen before the end of the window.
4. Andriy Lunin
The Ukrainian goalkeeper has spent most of his time at the club as Thibaut Courtois's deputy, except for 2023/2025 when the Belgian tore his ACL, and he was arguably one of Madrid's players of the season; his heroics against RB Leipzig and Manchester City helped lift the club to its 15th European crown.
As good as he is, he is not a patch on Thibaut Courtois, who is still far and away the best goalkeeper in the world.
Undoubtedly, Lunin deserves to be the #1 goalkeeper for a top club; I believe that at his best, he is one of the top 10 goalkeepers in the world.
He's an excellent shot-stopper, commands his box, and while his distribution isn't top-notch, at the end of the day, it's about stopping the ball from going in the net, and Lunin is stellar at that.
The goalkeeping market is relatively slim, and numerous big clubs could be on the lookout and willing to pay top dollar for Lunin. He's a player Real Madrid can absolutely afford to lose and should cash in on as soon as possible. Yes, they'll need to buy a new backup, but that should not dissuade them from selling the Ukrainian.
5. Rodrygo Goes
This one might be controversial, but after his up-and-down season, in which he totaled 14 goals and 10 assists in all competitions, his lowest number of goal contributions since 2021/2022, it may be time for a change of scenery. He was often in and out of Carlo Ancelotti's team and was outshone by Arda Guler.
Rodyrgo has been a massive part of Real Madrid's success over the last few years and will go down in Real Madrid folklore because of his incredible stoppage-time brace against Manchester City.
However, he also seems to be the one most affected by Mbappe's arrival in the Spanish capital, having less consistent minutes and being forced out of his natural position.
The Brazilian would undoubtedly benefit from a team where he can be more of a presence and have a more significant role in a sporting project. He's still only 24 years old and brimming with potential.
He appears to be a player destined for the Premier League, as Liverpool has long been interested in him. He's a quality player who would likely command upwards of €75 million in the market, which Real Madrid could then reinvest in the rest of the squad.
Losing Rodrygo would certainly hurt. Not only is he a quality player on his day, but he's also a player of upstanding character; he puts the team first, doesn't complain, and avoids getting into arguments with the media.
But I think we all recognize the talent that Arda Guler possesses and how special he could be. He is the future on the right wing, and he needs to be allowed to flourish. Unfortunately, that won't be possible with both Rodrygo and him in the squad.
As the summer progresses, we should gain much more clarity on the future of all five of these players, and it should make for one of the most eventful transfer windows in recent years.