José Mourinho is willing to approve the sale of a number of Real Madrid stars when he becomes manager – and some of the names are more surprising than others.
According to reports, José Mourinho is ready to let 10 Real Madrid players leave the club as soon as he takes over as manager. That includes one shocking name.
Read: Bids 30 million euros for Norwegian striker Alexander Sørloth
Mourinho is said to have held talks with club president Florentino Pérez about taking over the managerial role for next season. Real Madrid are reportedly ready to buy him free from his contract with Benfica for €3 million.
The current manager, Álvaro Arbeloa, announced on Friday that he will leave his position at the end of the current season. That paves the way for Mourinho’s return to the Bernabéu.
Strict demands from the Portuguese
Spanish newspaper Esdario reported earlier this month that the Portuguese had made a number of strict demands to become the next manager of Real Madrid – including that he “will not accept any form of interference from the squad when it comes to his team selections”.
It is said to have been a key point of contention under Arbeloa, as several players have reportedly disagreed with the Spaniard over his playing time since he took over from Xabi Alonso in January.
Real Madrid have already announced that defensive duo Dani Carvajal and David Alaba will leave the club when their contracts expire next month – and as many as eight other players could follow them out the door.
Mourinho ready for massive purge
Portuguese newspaper Record claims that Mourinho will approve the departures of goalkeeper Andrij Lunin, full-backs Fran García and Ferland Mendy, midfielder Dani Ceballos and striker Gonzalo García if he takes over.
All players on that part of the list have either been reserve players this season – or, in Mendy’s case, struggled with extensive injury problems.
Mendy is currently recovering from a serious muscle and tendon injury in his right leg, which will make him unavailable when pre-season starts.
Read on Popidol: Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” sets a new record – 43 years after its release
Camavinga and Valverde could also disappear
Eduardo Camavinga, who has played 43 games in all competitions in several different positions this season, should also be available for transfer.
The 23-year-old was not selected in France’s 26-man squad for the World Cup this summer, and he has already been linked with transfers to both Manchester United and Liverpool.
The website TEAMtalk claims that Liverpool have already held talks about signing Camavinga.
A more surprising name on the supposed sales list is Federico Valverde. He has not played for Real since suffering a traumatic brain injury following an incident on the training ground with teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni.
Although the Uruguayan has insisted that neither player hit each other in the incident, and that his injury was solely due to Valverde slipping and hitting his head on a table, both players were fined €500,000 by Real Madrid after a disciplinary process.
Valverde was ordered to rest for between 10 and 14 days. This means that he can play in Real’s last game of the season against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, after he is back in training.
Biggest shock: Vinicius Junior can be sold
But the biggest shock among the alleged sales names is star winger Vinicius Junior.
The 25-year-old Brazilian has scored 22 goals and provided 10 assists in all competitions this season – after a slow start to the season under Alonso.
But it’s not about sporting performance. The Record reports that it is Real’s concern over the lack of agreement on a new contract for Vinicius that is driving the rumours of a sale.
It was reported on several occasions last season that he had turned down contract offers from Los Blancos. His current deal expires next summer.
Vinicius has a buyout clause of €1 billion in his contract, but it only applies to buying clubs. As things stand, from January he will be free to negotiate deals with clubs outside Spain – to leave Real Madrid for free.
