Real Madrid aim to free up €50m with transfers for three hard-to-shift players
Robin Bairner
- 26 Mar 2022 15:52 CDT
- 3 min read
Real Madrid are seeking to transfer three players who have accumulated an astonishing combined wage of €50 million per season but have managed less than 1,600 minutes between them this season.
While Los Blancos can look forward to ending their tumultuous relationship with Wales star Gareth Bale when his contract ends in the summer, they appreciate that moving the trio of Eden Hazard, Mariano Diaz and Luka Jovic on could prove to be harder.
These players promise to be hard to sell for three reasons. First, they are all under contract. Secondly, they are not playing well. And finally, they are all under big contracts.
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Nevertheless, AS reports that Real Madrid are set to make a concerted effort to offload these players in the summer with some urgency.
Letting them go, after all, would free up money to sign more useful stars, specifically Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund – their two big goals for the next transfer window.
How Real Madrid will deal with Hazard, Jovic and Mariano
Hazard promises to be the most difficult to shift. Not only does he earn around €30m per year before tax, but Real Madrid are likely to want around €40m as a transfer fee for him so that he does not show up as a loss on their books, having signed him for €100m from Chelsea in 2019. Persistently injured, it is tough to see who might be interested in him at such a price.
The Jovic case should prove more straightforward. His contract is not nearly as large as Hazard’s – it is reportedly €5m per season – and he is said to be willing to make a transfer in order to play first team football.
In both these cases, a loan deal may be considered. Indeed, it seems to be a probability in the case of Hazard. Madrid will seek a club to take on his wages and hope his level improves, meaning that his transfer value will rise again.
Mariano, meanwhile, is on €4.5m per season and is eager to remain at the club because he enjoys the lifestyle in Madrid. He has proven tough for the club to offload, as they have sought to wash their hands of the striker every summer since 2019. The probability is that he leaves as a free agent when his contract expires in 2023.
If Real Madrid are successful in sealing transfers for this trio, it would free up €50m to be reinvested in the squad, so their hunger to do so is understandable.
