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What's the story?
Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema's time at Real Madrid is at an end, as the trio will be replaced by Neymar Jr., Eden Hazard and Robert Lewandowski, according to a report in Spanish news outlet, Marca.
Florentino Perez is reportedly unhappy with Madrid's much-vaunted attacking trio and is paving the way for a summer clearout that will allow Los Blancos to form a new attacking triumvirate from Paris St-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
In case you didn't know
Real Madrid's BBC trio was formed when Real Madrid signed Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013. The trio took to each other with aplomb, scoring 97 goals in the 2013/14 season. They hit three figures in 2014/15, scoring 100 goals, while the 2015/16 season brought about 98 goals.
The decline began in the 2016/17 season, with 70 goals scored among the trio, although that was exacerbated by the lack of end-product from Karim Benzema and the injury problems of Gareth Bale.
The heart of the matter
The 2017/18 season is already halfway through, but Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema have only scored 28 goals amongst them - with their decline pretty much a certain matter. Thus, the report claims Florentino Perez will unleash another Galactico era, although the deals are understandably complicated.
Robert Lewandowski is considered a realistic target, although the report claims that Madrid are also considering unlikely moves for Harry Kane and Mauro Icardi.
Rumour Reliability
2/10
Marca are considered Real Madrid's mouthpiece in Spain, but this rumour takes the cake. The operation to bring in Neymar, Eden Hazard and Robert Lewandowski would cost nothing short of €300 million, considering the stature of the players involved. If there is a club that could do it, it is Real Madrid, but the idea that Los Blancos could pull it off in just one transfer window is ludicrous - not to mention the fallout of letting Cristiano Ronaldo leave.
Video:
If there is a Real Madrid fan who's forgotten how good BBC could be, take a look....
Author's Take:
While Florentino Perez does have a penchant for signing a Galactico, the complexity of signing Neymar and Eden Hazard in the same window would be astronomical, especially given that Paris St-Germain and Chelsea would be loathe to sell their best players. Robert Lewandowski would be a much more realistic target, since the Polish striker has already fallen out with the hierarchy at Bayern Munich.
On the other hand though, the idea of NHL in a frontline seems quite, quite mouth-watering.
