5 players who could leave Real Madrid this summer

Real Madrid supporters are known for their lack of patience when it comes to player performance, as they're quick to make their frustrations clear which often leads to an increasing level of pressure too. It's difficult to continuously please fans at the ever-demanding Bernabeú, though one of the ways to appease supporters is by signing a Galactico.

Usually though, it's an expensive acquisition and one which requires fringe players be sold for surprisingly higher transfer fees to help balance the financial books.

In the summer of 2013, they broke the world-record transfer fee to sign Tottenham's Gareth Bale for £85m. Certainly an expensive buy, they generated the transfer funds by selling Gonzalo Higuaín to Napoli for £35m and Mesut Ozil to Arsenal for £42.5m.

This season as always, they have been linked with a whole host of players. It's unlikely that much business will be done unless outgoings are accounted for, so here's a look at five Real Madrid players who could be available to sign this summer:

#5 Mateo Kovacic

Having joined Real from Inter Milan in 2015, Kovacic is a talented midfielder but one who has been left frustrated by a lack of regular first-team opportunities amongst Madrid's star-studded squad.

The midfield pairing of Toni Kroos and his compatriot Luka Modric has proven too valuable to drop, while Casemiro acts as protection behind the two in a more defensive-minded position. Kovacic, while versatile, prefers to play further forward and has not been given the free roam role to excel yet in Spain.

Kovacic in action against Leganes during a Copa del Rey fixture earlier this term

The 24-year-old has been long linked with a Premier League move - Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United are all reportedly monitoring his situation. With Real increasingly keen to sign goalkeeper David de Gea, it's believed that the Croatian may be offered as an attractive option in a player-plus-cash deal for the Spaniard's services.

Potentially seen as a long-term replacement for Michael Carrick from Jose Mourinho's perspective, Goal has also reported that he might be used in a similar deal to lure Harry Kane to the Bernabeú.

#4 Dani Ceballos

The Spaniard joined Real last summer from Real Betis, having flourished in the u21 European Championships and being named Player of the Tournament too. Barcelona were also interested in his services, though he rejected their advances and opted for the defending champions instead.

However, things have certainly not gone well for the 21-year-old as he's struggled considerably for minutes at Real this term. Only managing five La Liga appearances to date, three of those were off the substitutes' bench.

Liverpool are reportedly interested in Ceballos (centre) as a replacement for Coutinho

Philippe Coutinho's big-money switch to Barcelona last month has left a creative hole in Liverpool's attacking system, one which some reports have suggested could be filled by Ceballos' presence.

Zinedine Zidane himself admitted that the 21-year-old has not featured regularly enough and given how his progression has stagnated with limited first-team football this season, it's becoming increasingly possible that he'll angle for a move away in the summer.

#3 Keylor Navas

During his tenure at Real, it's fair to say that Keylor Navas has had plenty of memorable moments and frustrating instances which he's managed to effectively deal with - making many world-class saves along the way to two consecutive Champions League titles is always what he'll be remembered by.

However, his inconsistency when it matters most has seen Real's pursuit of a world-class goalkeeper accelerate over the past season or so, hence why speculation surrounding both de Gea and Thibaut Courtois - both of whom started their respective careers in Spain - continues to rumble.

It appears that this may be the Costa Rica international's final season in Madrid, not least because he'll be desperate for regular first-team football regardless of the acquisitions made in the coming months.

Navas has made countless saves for Real, one here against Villarreal in La Liga this term

Liverpool's pursuit of a quality goalkeeper continues to be an issue in their hopes of genuine progression and at 31, Navas could offer them a step-up in quality from Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius. He'd be a shrewd piece of business if Jurgen Klopp manages to seal an agreement for his services, though Real know that he's still a valuable asset even if they do not believe so in the long-term.

According to Don Balon, Navas is already aware that Real's interest in de Gea - one which the goalkeeper has already reportedly told compatriot and Spain captain Sergio Ramos to help finalise.

#2 Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema arrived at Real Madrid from Lyon and in the process, he became their 5th all-time leading goal scorer.

Despite his long list of achievements, the 30-year-old has been showered with regular boos from supporters as a result of his disappointing performances - which have not conjured up many goals, even though you could not question his effort levels or determination to try and banish the streak of poor form.

This term, he's netted seven goals and created five more across all competitions and many believe that his time in Madrid is finally about to come to an end, after nine years with the La Liga giants. Zinedine Zidane has continued to place trust in his misfiring compatriot, while critics and supporters alike slam performances, but a combination of factors may see Karim leave at the end of the current campaign.

Despite frustrating displays and a lack of goals, Benzema still has plenty of suitors across Europe

If Real decide to sell, they are likely to have plenty of interested suitors as he's still highly-rated across Europe and is a big name too. Los Blancos have been linked to many top strikers this term, including Robert Lewandowski, Mauro Icardi and the aforementioned Kane.

Many believe that any of the trio are more than capable of replacing the former Lyon academy graduate, although it's increasingly unlikely that a deal can be struck for any of them in truth. Lewandowski has already said he's happy at Bayern, Real will have to splash considerably high to sign Kane right now while Icardi, whose goalscoring exploits at Inter are clear to see, still has a cloud of questionability over whether he's consistent enough to thrive in Madrid.

PSG, Monaco, Marseille, Lyon and Liverpool are just five of the sides that have been linked with a formal approach for Benzema, who may well be weighing up his options in the summer.

#1 Gareth Bale

Bale's lucrative switch to Real in 2013 broke the world-record transfer fee and given both his ability as well as the potential to succeed in Spain, it comes as no surprise that he flourished in his debut campaign - netting crucial goals which powered Real to a Copa del Rey and Champions League double.

Since then though, he's only shown flashes of his individual brilliance due to troublesome injuries keeping him sidelined.

Real president Florentino Perez is considering a squad overhaul and given Bale's injury issues, it's not much of a surprise that he could be sold this summer to free up funds elsewhere.

Given his injuries, Bale has often found himself either stuck on the bench or the treatment table at Real

At 28, he will still be keen to prove his worth and silence his critics - some of whom believe his best days are now behind him. European clubs have been monitoring his progress for a few seasons and he's no longer their shiny new toy, meaning they're likely to have less patience with him if they do not see immediate results.

Despite Zidane's recent comments, it's clear that Manchester United are, and have been interested in signing the former Spurs winger for a few seasons now. It's widely believed that Real are keen to appease Marco Asensio with more first-team minutes, which might eat into Bale's chances of regular football going forward.

Some reports meanwhile, have suggested he'd be offered to Chelsea as part of a deal to convince them into selling Eden Hazard for a cheaper transfer fee. It's likely that given his undeniable quality, Real may be forced into selling him in the hopes of finding a younger player, one who is not so unfortunate with injuries.