The players Real Madrid are willing to sell - and the 'untouchables' they won't
By Ross Jackson
It's difficult to remember the last time there was a transfer window on the horizon and Real Madrid weren't the centre of a long-running saga.
And despite every football club in the world preparing to cut costs as they look to balance the books amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, this summer looks like it could be one of the busiest ever for Los Blancos.
The La Liga champions have been publicly courting superstar pairing Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland for some time now, yet Zinedine Zidane's squad will undoubtedly need to be trimmed if they're to secure the arrival of either youngster.
The list of potential outgoings at the club this summer is ridiculous, with Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Lucas Vazquez, Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Isco just a handful of the players possibly heading for the Santiago Bernabeu exit door come the end of the season.
Of course, the situations of the aforementioned players all vary, with Real actively seeking to cut ties with some and desperately trying to thrash out new deals with others.
However, Marca report that the club have pinpointed four youngsters who are categorically not for sale regardless of how strong a bargaining chip they could prove to be in any summer business. Vinicius Junior, Fede Valverde, Rodrygo Goes and Martin Odegaard the four earmarked as key players in the club's future.
Vinicius has been the subject of transfer speculation over the past year, though the report adds that Real won't be tempted into using him as a makeweight in any deal with Mbappe.
Odegaard's performances during his loan spell with Premier League side Arsenal have seen a number of potential suitors lodge their interest in the Norway captain, though he too remains off the table in any future deals.
Elder statesmen Thibaut Courtois, Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema have also been marked as not for sale, as the club looks to retain the spine of the squad that's currently in with a shot of securing Real's fourth league and Champions League double in their history.