Man Utd, Liverpool on alert as Euro giants prepare massive summer clearout

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has informed the club which players can be sold in the summer as they look to rebuild – and it could be good news for Manchester United.

It’s been a disastrous campaign for Los Blancos, who brought Zidane back to the club after failing to progress under Julen Lopetegui and then Santi Solari. With Real out of the running in La Liga, and having been eliminated from the Champions League and Copa Del Rey, they are set to bring about mass changes in the summer.

According to AS, Zidane has already told the club which players are no longer required at the Bernabeu, as they prepare to sell some big names and start from scratch. And the Spanish source thinks it has identified the five stars in question.

Top of the list of departures will be Gareth Bale, the newspaper understands, who has never been too popular with Zidane. The Welsh winger has reportedly already been informed that he is not part of the first team picture for next season, and, in an unusual twist, it is claimed that he will be allowed to choose his next destination.

The former Tottenham Hotspur man has been heavily linked with Manchester United. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has previously addressed the club’s need for “quality players”, and refused to rule out a move for the 29-year-old.

However, Bale will not necessarily be available on the cheap, with Real believing they can demand a fee of €130m for the winger. United also face serious competition from Bayern Munich, as we exclusively reported last month.

Also on Zidane’s list of players available for transfer are striker Mariano Diaz and midfielders Dani Ceballos, Marcos Llorente and Brahim Diaz.

Ceballos was once tipped as a target for Liverpool, having only been afforded a bit-part role in Zidane’s first spell in charge, and with the Frenchman back in the hotseat, the Spain international may be tempted to move on. AC Milan were also close to him last summer.

Meanwhile, Llorente is likely to be made available for loan, having impressed in a temporary spell at Alaves two seasons ago. Chelsea have been admirers of the 24-year-old for some time.

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