Real Madrid Transfer News: Marco Asensio, Isco, James Rodriguez, Latest Rumours

The emergence of Marco Asensio at Real Madrid could reportedly spell the end for either Isco or James Rodriguez at the Bernabeu.

The 20-year-old has starred in pre-season, and his performances against Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have impressed manager Zinedine Zidane and Real's directors.

Indeed, per AS, so good has Spaniard Asensio been that he is being primed for a first-team role in 2016-17, which could force James or Isco to make way and depart the club.

AS claims that Colombian James is "one of the president’s (Florentino Perez) untouchables," but Zidane is unconvinced by him. The situation is reversed for Isco—the manager is convinced by him, but the directors are not.

Either way, Asensio has put himself firmly in the running to be a key first-team player next season and could be an able—and free—alternative to Juventus' Paul Pogba in solving Real's midfield depth issues, per ESPN FC's Rob Train.

He showed some impressive form last season while on loan at Espanyol, as he netted four goals and provided 10 assists in La Liga playing as a No. 10 and on either flank.

	Appearances (as sub)	Minutes	Goals	Assists	Shots per game	Pass success percentage
Asensio	33(1)	2833	4	10	1.8	81
Isco	21(10)	1826	3	7	1.3	89.2
James	17(9)	1518	7	8	1.5	86.9

Meanwhile, Isco scored three times and provided seven assists in 2015-16, and James netted seven and set up eight, per WhoScored.com.

Rodriguez, 25, has long been rumoured with a move away from Real, with PSG touted as a potential destination for the Colombia international, per Yahoo Sports France (h/t AS).

He has become something of a fringe player under Zidane, a significant fall from grace since his £63 million move to Real following his impressive showing at the 2014 World Cup.

Per Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe, he is unlikely to be part of Zidane's best XI next season and will fall further down the pecking order should Asensio remain in favour:

It is a similar situation for Isco, who hasn't managed to nail down a consistent first-team spot with Los Blancos since his 2013 move from Malaga.

Per Train, Isco could benefit from leaving Real, and the same is surely true for James, whose career has somewhat stalled under Zidane.

Due to Asensio's emergence, it seems that at least one of the two will depart the Bernabeu this summer, and it may come down to a conflict between the Real manager and directors as to which one is let go.