The more than likely arrival of Kylian Mbappé at Real Madrid, this coming summer, a move that is already taken for granted in the Valdebebas offices, puts the white club in front of a somewhat paradoxical and surprising dilemma: too many good players for too few positions . Within the club, the need to get rid of some players is studied simply because not all of them fit and having them on the bench without playing is usually a source of problems.
The most obvious case of overcrowding is the left wing position, where Mbappé and Vinícius will compete, but also the area of the field where Rodrygo moves best. The first impression is that Mbappé is untouchable and if he has decided to come it is, among other things, because he will play where he likes the most. However, Ancelotti's statements, renewed until June 2026, do not suggest the same. The Italian has made a habit of saying that Vinícius is the best in the world in his area and that he is untouchable there. Although it is true that Ancelotti is known for his pragmatism.
The arrival of Mbappé will not be cheap either and Madrid will have to adjust the salary cap. Even if Mbappé is offered to dispose of a large part of his image rights to make personal cash, a sale of some crack would help the treasury.
Made Mpabbé the icon of the new team (with Vinícius and Bellingham by his side), everything indicates that the sacrificed could be Rodrygo. But it won't be such an easy choice. At 23 years old and already in his fifth season in the first team, Rodrygo points to qualities that Vinícius does not even remotely have. Without having his explosiveness or his imbalance, Rodrygo is much more versatile, he fits all over the front of the attack and above all he does not raise the continuous conflicts that Vinícius generates with his provocations and insolence to referees and rivals.
Rodrygo is very fond of Florentino Pérez and Ancelotti. Madrid already received important offers for him last summer and rejected them, including one from the Premier League for 125 million. Club sources also emphasize that Rodrygo's environment is very good (with very young parents), while Vinícius's is very toxic, with close relatives determined to make him a reference in anti-racial struggles, a path that the player has decided to follow with a firm step against wind and tide.
The problems of an abundance of cracks in Madrid are not limited to the left side. For the position of nine there will be Endrick, who turns 18 on July 21, and Joselu, with 31 since March, but with whom it has already been decided to exercise the purchase option at Espanyol for 1.5 millions of euros. A bargain Brahim (24 years old), an ambidextrous player who can play on either side, also competes with Rodrygo on the right.
There is also plenty of competition in midfield. Kroos is given as renewed and Bellingham (20 years old), Valverde (25), Camavinga (21) and Tchouaméni (24) are safe. Arda Güler (19) likes it and doesn't want to leave. Modric (38) wants to renew for another year, which is not much to the liking of the club. Ceballos has a contract, but he will be looking for a destination.
It's not the first time that Florentino Pérez's Madrid have let stars go because they didn't have a place in the team or weren't comfortable with the role they were assigned. The last case was that of Marco Asensio, one of the players most loved by the fans. Something similar happened with Mesut Özil for Gareth Bale to come in. Or Robben with Cristiano Ronaldo. And players who wanted to prolong their careers at the club also left, such as Fernando Redondo, Hierro, Pepe, Guti, Raúl, Casillas or Ramos.
Next summer looks like it will be hot.
