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The recently concluded club season was one of the darkest in Real Madrid's illustrious history, as Los Blancos floundered on all stages and struggled to match the heights and standards of previous years.
The club has responded in kind, spending in excess of €270m to bring in five new players, while more transfers are being lined up as well, as the Spanish giants bid to reclaim their spot at the top of the domestic and continental game.
Given the huge amounts spent so far in the market, Real Madrid would seek to offload some players to balance the books and raise funds for other purchases. Not to mention, also to avoid falling foul of FFP rules, while a number of players would seek transfers elsewhere in search of regular playing time.
In this piece, we look at five players who are likely to be the most affected by Real Madrid's transfer deals.
#5 Marcelo
While Marcelo might arguably have been the best left-back in the world for the best part of the last seven years, last season was one the 31-year-old would not want to remember in a hurry, as he was arguably the worst of an under-achieving squad of Real Madrid players, which also resulted in him losing his starting spot to youngster Sergio Reguilon at a point.
His performance levels were so dire, that the 58-capped Brazilian international was left out of Tite's 23-man squad for the ongoing Copa America 2019 on home soil.
Real Madrid's signing of French international Ferland Mendy is indicative that Zidane does not see Marcelo as the long-term plan for Real Madrid.
Speculations were rife earlier in the year that Marcelo could join Juventus and given his close relationship with Crstiano Ronaldo, the time might have come for him to end his trophy-laden spell at the Bernabeu.
#4 Mariano Diaz
Following on from Cristiano Ronaldo's sale, Madridistas and neutrals alike felt Florentino Perez would sanction the purchase of a superstar replacement for the club's record goalscorer; however that did not happen as the club brought in former player Mariano Diaz back from Lyon.
In further baffling scenes, the Brazilian was handed the hallowed number 7 shirt which has been worn by some of the greatest players to have donned the white of Real Madrid.
It is safe to say that Mariano Diaz would go down as one of the most underwhelming players to wear the number 7 jersey at Real Madrid, as he failed to do much of note, scoring just four goals from 19 matches in all competitions, while he also struggled to cement a starting place in the team.
The arrival of Eden Hazard for a club record fee is all but guaranteed to end his Real Madrid career, with Valencia widely reported to be interested in his services.
#3 James Rodriguez
After starring at the 2014 World Cup where he won the Golden Boot, James Rodriguez completed a record breaking move to Real Madrid.
The Colombian international initially starred under Carlo Ancelotti but saw a dip in his appearance numbers upon the appointment of Zinedine Zidane.
A two-year loan move to Bayern Munich was completed in 2017 and despite initial suggestions that the German giants would take up their option to sign him permanently, the midfielder and the club agreed on sending him back to the Spanish capital.
This puts him in a delicate situation, as his future does not appear to lie at the Santiago Bernabeu and with just one year left on his contract, Real Madrid would be eager to sell him.
He is not short of potential suitors at all, as top clubs from across the globe would be keen on snapping him up.
#2 Isco
Isco has been a Real Madrid player since 2013 and has gone on to represent 277 times across all competitions, scoring 47 goals and winning a host of trophies including four Champions League and one La Liga trophy.
Isco had been named the 2012 Golden Boy and on his day, is among the best play makers in the world. However the 27-year-old has seen his progress hampered by poor decision making in the final third as well as inconsistencies while his tendency to hog the ball with needless dribbles while teammates are in good positions has hardly boosted his reputation.
While Zinedine Zidane remains a firm fan of the Spanish international, there are indications that he is willing to let him go to balance the club's financial books.
The likes of Manchester City and Juventus are supposedly interested in securing his services.
#1 Gareth Bale
Once the world's most expensive player and a potential Ballon d'Or winner, Gareth Bale has seen his stock fall to a player considered an expensive and unwanted liability.
The Welshman had arrived Real Madrid in 2013 for a record breaking fee from Tottenham and it was believed that he would build on from his impressive displays in North London.
However that did not happen, and six years on from his celebrated arrival, the overwhelming consensus is that the 29-year-old has not done enough in the Real Madrid shirt to justify his huge salary outlay.
On his day, Bale is an exceptionally talented player, and some of his performances in a Real Madrid shirt lay credence to this. However they have been too sporadic for a player of his ability as injuries and loss of form have taken a toll on his performances.
Zinedine Zidane has explicitly stated that Gareth Bale is not in the future of Real Madrid and although it might be difficult to offload him owing to his advancing age and huge salary, the club would do all in its power to get a new club for him.
