Xabi Alonso hit by Real Madrid nightmare nobody at the club anticipated weeks before start of La Liga season

Xabi Alonso has been hit by a nightmare situation at Real Madrid just weeks before the start of the new La Liga season.

After three successful years in charge of Bayer Leverkusen, which included an unprecedented unbeaten domestic double, Alonso returned to his former club Real Madrid.

Real had a disappointing campaign last season, as they finished four points behind Barcelona in La Liga and lost to their rivals in the Copa del Rey.

They crashed out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals, with a 5-1 aggregate defeat to Arsenal.

Their FIFA Club World Cup run ended in the semi-finals with a 4-0 thrashing by PSG.

After that loss, Alonso decided to put three players up for sale, with Dani Ceballos, Brahim Diaz and Rodrgyo all placed on the transfer list.

But, in a surprise twist, none of the trio currently want to leave the club, according to a report from Marca.

Rodrygo has been linked with a move to the Premier League this summer. (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA / Contributor via Getty)

Could Rodrygo leave?

Of the three, the 24-year-old Brazilian is the highest value asset and has been linked with a move to Premier League giants Liverpool and Arsenal.

Alonso will hope that Rodrygo's desire to start for Brazil at next summer's World Cup might tempt him to leave for guaranteed minutes.

After Kylian Mbappe's arrival last summer, Rodrygo's playing time was reduced.

And following the signing of Franco Mastantuono, who is expected to come straight into the first-team squad, there is now even more competition.

Arsenal are still interested in adding a versatile attacking player but their focus appears to be on Eberechi Eze.

Liverpool have room within their squad following the £65 million sale of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich but their current priority appears to be Newcastle United's Alexander Isak.

Neither Dani Ceballos nor Brahim Diaz are in a hurry to leave the club. (Image: Pedro Castillo / Contributor via Getty)

Will Dani Ceballos or Brahim Diaz leave?

Ceballos was largely a rotation option last season, making just 23 La Liga appearances in total.

The former Arsenal midfielder has been linked with a return to Real Betis but nothing has advanced on that move.

At 28, the Spaniard may want to leave Madrid for more game time in the prime years of his career.

Diaz featured more regularly for Carlo Ancelotti last season, playing 31 league games.

The 25-year-old started his career at Malaga before joining Manchester City.

But he has never delivered on the promise which persuaded Real Madrid to part with £15.5 million and would surely benefit from a change of scenery.

The Moroccan international may leave for regular minutes ahead of next summer's World Cup.