Real Madrid preparing to axe at least one major star

Stuart Telford

• 19 Jan 2023 13:48 GMT
• 3 min read

Real Madrid are building for the future with Endrick's deal agreed and Jude Bellingham's in the works, but there could be a cull at the other end of the age spectrum come the end of the season.

Endrick will join Real in the summer of 2024 when he turns 18 after agreement on terms of a €72 million transfer from Palmeiras. Bellingham continues to be courted by Liverpool and Manchester City as well as Real, but los Blancos would happily recruit him.

Real are the current Spanish and European champions, so the need for major surgery may not seem pronounced, but of this season's first-team regulars, Luka Modric is 37, Karim Benzema 35 and Toni Kroos 33.

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"Between [these three players], at least one of them will leave the club at the end of the season," Josep Pedrerol told Spanish football broadcaster El Chiringuito TV.

Endrick is Benzema's long-term replacement as Real's No.9, so there would need to be a stop-gap solution should he leave with a year still to wait until the teenager's arrival. Brazil No.9 Richarlison, currently playing out of position if at all at Tottenham Hotspur, has been floated as one solution.

Benzema back to Lyon?

Benzema has long spoken of his desire to return to first club Lyon, and even presented his recently won Ballon d'Or at their Groupama Stadium ahead of a Ligue 1 meeting with Nice in November.

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Should Real win the race for England midfielder Bellingham, it should hasten the departures of fellow midfielders Modric and Kroos.

Casemiro joined Manchester United for €80m last summer after Real had agreed to pay Monaco €100m for Aurelien Tchouameni, and the suspicion is that his former midfield partners already see the writing on the wall.

Both Modric and Kroos have been linked with moves to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr in recent weeks, although speculation that Kroos, despite being the youngest of the three players in question, is ready to retire, continues to mount.