Asier Illarramendi and Fabio Coentrao will be given a second chance at Real Madrid if Rafa Benitez is appointed as the new Coach.
Both players were only on the fringes of the squad under Carlo Ancelotti but circumstances dictate they will each get a reprieve.
Madrid did want to sign a new left-back and Coentrao was half-way out the door to Manchester United, Marca reports, but that’s no longer the case.
Jose Gaya was the first choice to come in but he instead renewed his contract with Valencia, while Madrid like David Alaba but it would be ‘nearly impossible’ to pry him away from Bayern Munich.
Porto’s Alex Sandro is also mentioned but Madrid have already paid the Portuguese club €31m for right-back Danilo and don’t want to do more business there.
That means Coentrao will stay at Santiago Bernabeu and he is said to be eager to take his chance under a new boss.
Benitez will have the ultimate say but Coentrao’s understanding is he will still be a Madrid player when he returns from his summer holiday.
Illarra, meanwhile, was overlooked by Carletto, who at times preferred Sergio Ramos in midfield, but he didn’t want to leave Madrid, either in January or this summer.
Madrid expect Benitez to like Illarra and, to that end, have rejected a €15m approach from Real Sociedad for the former La Real player.
Illarra expected to depart if Ancelotti was in charge but is ‘excited’ by the prospect of Benitez and the fresh start the current Napoli trainer can offer.
