Real Madrid Transfer Speculation: 5 Players Whom José Mourinho Should Sell

José Mourinho has the enormous task of fulfilling President Florentino Pérez's quest for La Décima (Madrid's 10th Champions League title) and snatching La Liga away from Barcelona. The revered "Special One" is widely accepted as one of today’s best coaches, but his current focus on signing new players won’t be enough.

Of course he needs new players to strengthen the squad, but he also needs to sell off Real Madrid’s unnecessary dead weight to truly form a winning team.

Unfortunately, there are five talented individuals that seem destined to leave the Santiago Bernabéu. Despite their individual brilliance that attracted Los Blancos to buy, they no longer perform as they should within the Real Madrid starting XI. 

Fernando Gago

We just can't be with you like this anymore, Lady Gago. Fernando was hailed as the next Redondo when he arrived from Boca Juniors in 2007 for €20.4 million. Despite his surprisingly good performance in the recent Copa America, the Argentine has had a gradual downfall and has become a burden for Real Madrid, whose midfield is already packed.

Gago spent over 100 days injured during the 2011-12 season, making only seven appearances, yet still hauled in €50,000 a week. That's some big money wasting, when Madrid could be paying more promising up-and-coming players. Angel di Maria, a younger yet reliable and consistent starter, was paid about €40,000 a week—€10,000 fewer than the underperforming Gago. With the arrival of newer talent to the squad, Gago has been displaced and is now overpaid for his meager contributions to the team.

After Fernando Gago commented to ESPN Argentina that “Barcelona is the best team in history,” the Madridistas regarded it as treasonous, tweeting “GAGO TRAITOR” to express their new disdain for the player. What the fans think of him is unrelated to what the “jefe” chooses to do, but many fans of Real Madrid already want Gago out.

Most Likely Destinations: Boca Juniors, Liverpool, Aston Villa

Lassana Diarra

Lass was neglected by Mourinho on the preseason tour of the US, left at home to contemplate his future with Real Madrid. Despite the £20 million that Madrid paid Portsmouth for Diarra’s services, the Frenchman has been relegated to the bench after Sami Khedira’s arrival.

The frequently booked midfielder voiced his concerns at the end of 2010: "I only play once every two matches. I obviously want to play more and if I am not satisfied, I will draw the conclusions. I am not at Real to watch the games. I want to play."

Despite his amazing performance against Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League, his desires seem unrealistic. With the arrival of Khedira and other new signings, his place on the team is becoming much smaller.

For a bench player like Diarra, £82,000 a week has become too much. Although he contributes to Madrid's depth with his reliability, he will have less and less playing time between the newer players on the field. He has stated clearly that he is unhappy with his increasing time on the bench, and clubs ought not keep an unhappy player.

Most Likely Destinations: Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester United, Juventus 

Royston Drenthe

The flying Dutchman is currently on loan to Hércules CF, yet still belongs to Real Madrid who purchased him for €14 million. The former Feyenoord man was snubbed on the tour by the relegated club's staff in January after an altercation over his unpaid salary and spent much of his time injured. He has never really fit in anywhere in Spain.

Not much to say here. Mourinho will not use the speedy defender/midfielder, nor does he want him for backup. There have been absolutely no talks of him returning and he was not even considered to go on the US tour. If he can't make it in a second-division team, there is no way he will make it in the newly renovated Real Madrid with Fábio Coentrao in his position. 

Most Likely Destinations: Fulham, Stoke City, Juventus

Sergio Canales, Loan

The €6 million Spain international is a curious case for Real Madrid. After the youngster arrived from Racing Santander, he seemed destined to be great. He scored his only goal on his debut against Club América in the preseason tour. Obviously, Canales has some talent, but could not harness his potential in only 15 appearances as a Madridista.

Before the start of the season, Mourinho praised Sergio Canales, saying "He looks very good and can play in the same position as Kaká behind the strikers. Since working with him, I have been very impressed." Unfortunately, Sergio has had no playing time to build his confidence and was unable to perform his best.

The best solution for this is a loan. Sergio will be able to gain much-needed experience as a first-team player, while perfecting his talents for the future. The attacking midfielder has already expressed his preference for La Liga over the Premier League. 

Most Likely Destinations: Villarreal (loan), Racing Santander (loan), Everton (loan)

Pedro León

The former Getafe man was purchased for €10 million by Real Madrid. The only major contribution the Spaniard had was the goal to tie against AC Milan during the group stage of the Champions League. León has scored two goals in 14 appearances, a relatively good ratio compared to others on this list.

After he and Fernando Gago were involved in a nasty tackle during training, a huge fight broke out. Ever since then, he has not been included for "coaching decisions."

Mourinho already dislikes this man, making his feelings known in a rant at the beginning of the season. "I don't have to justify Pedro Leon's absence from the squad list,” he complained. “I will explain it to the president if he asks me about it. You talk of Pedro Leon as if he was [Diego] Maradona or [Zinedine] Zidane, but only last month he was playing for Getafe. He will play whenever he works like I want him to, and it will be more difficult for him to play when he doesn't." 

Most Likely Destinations: Getafe, Valencia, Milan, Chelsea, Bayern Munich