GARETH BALE and Eden Hazard’s combined pay packet reportedly accounts for a staggering 13 per cent of Real Madrid’s hefty wage bill.
And Madrid are considering off-loading the flops to bring that figure down by at least £150million next season, according to The Athletic.
This is in order to sign Paris Saint-Germain ace Kylian Mbappe, who is at the top of their wish-list.
The 22-year-old prodigy, whose contract with the Ligue 1 side ends next summer, is worth a whopping £101million.
His £415,000-a-week wages are the same as Hazard’s but he wants an increase to £650,000, which is what Bale is on at present.
And a deal for him will remain a fantasy if Los Blancos don’t create some funds to finance his transfer, The Athletic report.
A Madrid source told them: “It is no secret that Mbappe is an objective of the club.
“The market will be very long and will depend a lot on what happens with Mbappe.
“If Mbappe is to come, some players will have to leave. If they know for sure at some point that Mbappe will not come this summer, they might have to make other decisions.
“But until the last day of the market, we might not know.”
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Madrid have to abide by a wage limit set by La Liga chiefs and that will be £255million next season.
On top of that, the club have been crippled financially by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although they did make a profit last year, it was only a measly £255,000, The Athletic revealed.
These financial implications have meant that they’ve been unable to make a new signing over the previous two years.
To change this, Bale and Hazard look set to be the first heads to roll.
Hazard has only played 24 games since joining Madrid from Chelsea in 2019.
Bale spent last season on loan with his ex-club Tottenham in order to get some regular playing time ahead of Euro 2020.
But the duo aren’t the only two who face the boot.
Several other aging and fading stars are reportedly heading for the Madrid exit.
Experienced first-teamers Isco and Marcelo are also reportedly up for sale after a quiet season largely spent on the bench.
Dominican striker Mariano Diaz, once linked with Arsenal, is the fifth player up for grabs having scored just once in 2020-21.
And Raphael Varane joins the names who Real are ready to wave goodbye to, for the right price, with a move to Manchester United said to be on the cards.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
