Coentrao edging towards Real exit

Posted Saturday, July 20, 2013 by Marca.com

The word at Real Madrid is that Fabio Coentrao is more likely to leave than to stay at the club. The Portuguese full back's time at Madrid appears to be coming to an end and his absence from two days of training sessions, due to personal reasons - the club's official version - back this up, although he did train on Thursday afternoon with the squad.

Coentrao missed both training on Wednesday and Thursday's morning session at the Valdebebas complex.

The Portuguese has been under the fans' spotlight ever since he joined the club, due to both his performances on the field and the odd controversial off-the-field incident.

The high transfer fee paid by Real in 2011 (€30 million) to buy Coentrao from Benfica has also been a burden on the player during his two seasons at the club. In addition, the departure of José Mourinho - his number-one fan - could be another decisive factor which could see the player pack his bags.

All this - plus the fact that Coentrao stated that he did not feel comfortable at the club at the end of last season - indicates that his departure would be best for both parties and an agreement should soon be reached for a player who is still highly rated around Europe.