Real Madrid could allow as many as eight players, including Argentina winger Angel Di Maria, 25, and striker Gonzalo Higuain, 25, to leave the Bernabeu this summer in a move that will take £25m off the club’s wage bill. Only 11 players are certain of their futures at Real.
Madrid spent £250million on the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema, Alonso, Albiol, Arbeloa and Granero in 2009 but are looking likely to have a summer clearout in order to to shorten the club’s hefty wage bill.
Both Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Essien are set to leave with Carvalho being touted by a host of European clubs and Essien will return to his parent club Chelsea when the season ends.
Madrid keeper, Antonio Adan also looks likely to leave having spent five seasons in the shadow of Iker Casillas and the arrival of Diego Lopez has given him little hope of breaking into the first team. Another player Madrid could allow to leave in the summer is Fabio Contrao. Their £36million signing has struggled to nail down a place in the starting 11 with the likes of Marcelo, Arbeloa and Nacho ahead of him in the pecking order.
Meanwhile Gonzalo Higuain is a wanted man with a number of Premier League clubs reportedly interested in the 25-year-old striker. However, it is Juventus who are at the front of the queue for the Argentinian’s services but could cost them around £25-30million.