Madrid's Asensio up for sale to make room for Mbappe & Haaland

Marco Asensio's future is up in the air. He is out of contract in 2023 and Real Madrid have doubts about renewing his deal or waiting for offers to transfer him. President Florentino Perez wants to strengthen the attack with the signings of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, which would reduce Asensio's chances of playing, with Karim Benzema and Vinicius already the first choice duo. In addition, there's a lot of faith placed in Rodrygo Goes, who is alternating with Asensio at the moment. Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz also face uncertain futures.

Asensio's stock is the highest of those players. He could bring in some money for Madrid. He is in his seventh season at the club and has been more in than out of the team recently, but his consistency is debated. He is a player valued for his quality and shot, but he would not have a place in the team with the new signings despite his form at times under Carlo Ancelotti.

INTEREST

Some big European clubs are interested in signing him. In the Premier League, Arsenal and Liverpool are the main bidders; in Germany, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are keen; in Serie A, Juventus and Milan are following the situation; and Paris Saint-Germain could even enter the equation if they lose Mbappe. Asensio has a 700 million release clause but would only cost around 50 million.

Asensio doesn't want to stay in Madrid if his salary is not improved, either. He is 26 and doesn't earn five million euros annually in a squad where many players double his paycheck. He did not want to leave last summer but changed his discourse in December: "It is too soon to speak about (the future). What I am thinking about is being the best I can be when I am on the pitch. From there, we will see how things go."