Six Players Real Madrid Could Sell to Complete Their Transfer Plans

Real Madrid’s summer rebuild is taking shape. Re-elected president Florentino Pérez and new manager José Mourinho have overseen five new arrivals at the club, with more expected.

Striker Carlos Espí became the latest signing, joining from Levante in a €25 million ($28.75 million) deal, after moves for Bernardo Silva, Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konaté and Denzel Dumfries.

Nineteen-year-old RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande is widely expected to become the sixth summer signing once terms are ironed out with the Bundesliga club. The deal is anticipated to be a club-record for Real Madrid at around €130 million ($150 million).

Simultaneously, Los Blancos are in talks with Manchester City over a move for World Cup-winning captain Rodri, with a defensive midfield signing a priority. There could even be an eighth arrival before the transfer window closes on September 1, with reports that Mourinho is still seeking another top-level center back.

It’s to be some signal of intent from Real Madrid after two barren seasons. The issue, however, is accommodating all of the new arrivals. As per La Liga rules, first-team rosters are limited to a maximum of 25 players, numbered from 1 to 25.

Including the five new arrivals, Real Madrid’s squad currently numbers 24, meaning there is space for just one more signing. With at least two more still to come, this will mandate the exit of one or more players.

Here are the candidates who could be the fall guys as Real Madrid look to make room in Mourinho’s locker room.

1. Ferland Mendy

The 31-year-old left back has become a forgotten man at the club thanks to persistent injury problems.

Ferland Mendy made just nine first-team appearances across 2025–26, though one of those did come in the Champions League quarterfinal against Bayern Munich, showing how valued he is when fit.

The problem is, Mendy is never fit—he recently underwent surgery for a tendon tear that will rule him out of the start of the new season. He is unlikely to get many suitors in his current condition, but Madrid could look at leaving him out of the roster for the first half of the new campaign in the hope of a transfer in January.

2. Raúl Asencio

With Konaté added to the team, Raúl Asencio’s prospects of more game time have taken a hit. Another defensive arrival would surely be the nail in the coffin of the 23-year-old’s Real Madrid career.

Reports suggest Madrid are open to a sale or loan, though off-field issues remain the elephant in the room.

The 23-year-old is set to stand trial in September over the alleged sharing of intimate footage involving a minor.

3. Eduardo Camavinga

Earlier this year, it seemed close to a sure thing that Eduardo Camavinga would leave the Bernabéu after five years of service. However, Premier League links have cooled in recent weeks.

The 23-year-old is a player Los Blancos could still make a good return on, despite an underwhelming couple of seasons.

It remains to be seen what plans Mourinho has for the versatile midfielder.

4. Aurélien Tchouaméni

The most obvious way for Madrid to clear space and bank some serious cash at the same time would be to sell Aurélien Tchouaméni.

The 26-year-old, who was fined €500,000 ($575,000) for his part in a locker-room fight with Federico Valverde back in May, is a known target for Manchester United and could fetch a transfer fee close to nine figures.

It would, however, be an incredibly risky move to cut loose the team’s only specialist defensive midfielder before the official arrival of Rodri.

5. Franco Mastantuono

One man close to the exit door is 2025 arrival Franco Mastantuono, who appears set to join Serie A club Fiorentina on loan.

Even if this does come to pass, it will not actually create any space for new signings in the first team with the young Argentinean registered with the club’s Castilla team.

In La Liga, U-23 players are allowed to be registered with the clubs’s B sides and still appear for the first team—hence why Mastantuono wore No. 30 last season rather than a 1–25 number.

6. Endrick

With Mastantuono creatively registered with the B team last season to fashion space for other players, Madrid could take a similar approach with Endrick this season.

The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Lyon and is ready to return and fight for minutes under Mourinho, competing with Kylian Mbappé, Espí and probably Diomande either up front or out on the right wing.

As an U-23, Endrick could technically be registered with Castilla in 2026–27, though giving up his No. 9 shirt might be a hit to the ego he is not prepared to take.

There have also been rumblings of another loan deal on the horizon, with Roma among those interested.

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