There’s no limit to the ambitions of Real Madrid talisman Cristiano Ronaldo who is reported to have named a shortlist of players who must be replaced by better quality in the summer.
It’s alleged that the Portuguese striker has grown dissatisfied with the quality of Real’s first team and has issued a warning to the club president that he will leave if squad improvements aren’t made.
Spanish website Dario Gol is reporting that Ronaldo has named a handful of players who must either leave or be replaced as first team choices. They say Ronaldo was frustrated that the club failed to find high quality replacements for Alvaro Morata and Pepe who departed Real Madrid last summer. James Rodriguez was also allowed to go out on loan without a better option coming in.
Following Real’s disappointing campaigns in La Liga and Copa del Rey, Dario Gol say Ronaldo laid down an ultimatum to Florentino Perez, threatening to walk out if club does not make changes to improve the current squad.
Which players are on Ronaldo’s shortlist to leave?
According to the Spanish outlet, the 33-year-old believes Real Madrid must sign a new goalkeeper and demote Keylor Navas to number two. It’s said that Manchester United’s David de Gea remains the favoured option, however Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois and Jan Oblak, from rivals Atletico Madrid, have also been linked.
It adds that Ronaldo believes the first team needs fresh blood across the defence and that Real should be chasing a top class centre-back to play alongside Sergio Ramos. It’s said he doesn’t consider Raphael Varane and Nacho Fernandez good enough for first choice and that back-up Jesus Vallejo should be moved on.
Dario Gol also allege Ronaldo wants better competition for the fill back slots currently occupied by Dani Carvajal and Marcelo.
It’s claimed that Ronaldo does not get along with Isco and would prefer to see Rodriguez return from his loan spell with Bayern Munich, however that deal still has a year to run.
Karim Benzema’s position is another that Ronaldo apparently wants to be upgraded, but like Navas, prefers the Frenchman to be part of the squad and not sold. A surprise name thrown into the hat is Wissam Ben Yedder, the Sevilla forward who scored twice to eliminate Manchester United from Europe last month.
Gareth Bale is expected to leave the Bernabeu at the end of the season and his departure frees up another slot in the forward line. It’s already rumoured that Real Madrid have shown interest in former Barcelona and current Paris Saint Germain star Neymar while Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah are also thought to be on the club’s radar.
