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Real Madrid Put Six Stars Up For Sale To Fund Erling Haaland And Kylian Mbappe Transfers

Real Madrid Put Six Stars Up For Sale To Fund Erling Haaland And Kylian Mbappe Transfers

Star-studded list of Real Madrid players to exit this summer.

Alex Reid

Alex Reid

Real Madrid are preparing to sell six superstars this summer in order to raise funds for a sensational bid for strikers Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.

The Spanish champions, famed for grabbing Galacticos, have been low-key on the transfer front in recent years (aside from the 2019 signing of Eden Hazard for over £100 million). That's fuelled rumours Real are waiting to make one - or two - statement signings in 2021.

But to sign both Borussia Dortmund's record-breaker Haaland and PSG ace Mbappe, they would need to massively reduce their current wage bill and clear out the current squad.

According to Mundo Deportivo, six current Real players are for the chop.

Unsurprisingly, the first two names on the list are the club's two highest earners: Hazard - who's struggled for form and fitness in the last two years - and Gareth Bale, currently on loan at Tottenham.

The other four internationals set to leave are Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Isco and Marcelo.

Clearing out so many established players would undoubtedly free up money for wages. However that would mean Real lose three experienced defenders, while signing two strikers.

Club captain Ramos has been at odds with the club over a new contract and the 34-year-old could walk away in the summer. French centre-back Varane has also been linked with a move away from Madrid.

Signing both the 20-year-old Haaland and 22-year-old World Cup winner Mbappe - widely seen as the best rising stars in football - might seem ludicrously ambitious. But it could arguably be done.

Haaland will be available for £65 million when his release clause comes into play, but he is expected to be involved in a bidding war this summer. Real are one of the few clubs that could afford him.

Mbappe might be even trickier, as Paris Saint-Germain can afford to offer sky-high wages to their No 7 and certainly will be desperate to keep him.

But Mbappe's contract ends in 2022 and it's long been believed that the forward desires a move to Real Madrid one day, following in the footsteps of his hero Cristiano Ronaldo. So Mbappe could force PSG's hand by refusing to sign a new deal.

If Real really can find buyers for six of their biggest names, bids for both Haaland and Mbappe might not be as ridiculous as that first sounds.

What a strikeforce that would give Los Blancos going into the 2021/22 season.

All imagery: PA Images

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Topics: Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid, La Liga