Real Madrid Transfer News: Zinedine Zidane Rumoured to Be Against Neymar Move

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is reportedly against the idea of signing Neymar as he does not want to upset Los Blancos' other stars.  

According to Diario Gol's Julian Carrasco (h/t the Mirror's James Whaling), Zidane is concerned the Brazilian's arrival could facilitate Cristiano Ronaldo's exit from the club, while his trust in Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale makes him similarly hesitant to upset them.

Real president Florentino Perez has already risked upsetting his stars when he commented on Neymar the same day Ronaldo won his fifth Ballon d'Or:

Ronaldo has netted 16 times in 21 matches this season, but Los Blancos will need to replace him sooner or later. At the very least they do need to be thinking about who could step into his considerable boots, as he'll be 33 in February.

It is perhaps worth replacing Bale and Benzema, too, despite Zidane's feelings on the pair, as the former has become increasingly injury prone in recent years while the latter has scored just twice in La Liga this season.

Neymar is one of very few players who could replace Ronaldo, so it's hardly surprising he is being linked with Real. He has bagged 17 goals and 13 assists for Paris Saint-Germain this season, and he more than proved himself in both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League during his time at Barcelona.

According to Le Parisien (h/t Sport), the Brazilian has not settled in particularly well at PSG amid rumours he does not get on with manager Unai Emery, but he has denied such talk.

ESPN FC's Jonathan Johnson believed the forward appeared committed as he scored and assisted twice apiece in his side's 4-1 win over Rennes at the weekend:

Zidane's desire to keep his current crop of players happy is understandable, but the decision may ultimately be out of his hands if Perez wants to make him a marquee signing.

The 25-year-old has only just arrived at PSG, though, and the Ligue 1 club will not be prepared to let him go any time soon, or for anything less than a phenomenal fee, so it's unlikely to be an issue in the foreseeable future.