Marco Asensio 'tension' at Real Madrid puts Premier League clubs on red-alert

Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio is reportedly unsettled at the club and considering his future options amid a lack of game-time.

The 25-year-old has not started in any of the club's six games to date this campaign - coming on as a second-half substitute in five of those matches.

Asensio's total playing time for the campaign stands at a miserly 69 minutes and there is little indication that he will be a first-team regular at any point over the course of the season.

Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard, Vinicius Junior, Gareth Bale, Rodrygo Goes and Lucas Vazquez all appear to be ahead of Asensio in the pecking order, with Luka Jovic and Isco other squad options.

Marco Asensio joined Real Madrid in 2014 ( Image:

Getty Images)

A report in Marca outlined that there was 'tension' at Los Blancos regarding the situation of the player, who was valued more than Zinedine Zidane then returning boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Asensio joined Madrid in 2014 but spent his first two seasons at the club on loan spells at Mallorca and Espanyol, meaning that he was not a member of the first-team squad in Ancelotti's first spell in the dugout.

Tottenham and Milan are said to have been among the clubs chasing his signature in the summer, while Liverpool and Arsenal have also previously been linked with a move.

Asensio was not interested in a move away previously as he wants to stay and fight for his place in Madrid's first-team squad.

Asensio has said of his situation: "I had a small chat with Carlo and he said positive things to me."

"He said good things and I know I can learn a lot from what he can teach me, as he has a lot of experience."

Asensio was somewhat of a young prodigy at Madrid and he bagged double figures in his first two full seasons with the club between 2016 and 2018.

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He suffered a dip in form the following campaign before suffering a LCL knee ligament injury in summer 2019 - which ruled him out of action for a year.

The forward had scored eight goals in 43 La Liga appearances under Zinedine Zidane since his return to action in July 2020, while he also netted two Champions League knockout goals last season - against Atalanta and Liverpool respectively.

Ancelotti recently told reporters in a press conference: "It's normal that those who aren't playing aren't happy.

"If Marco Asensio or Isco or Luka Jovic aren't happy with not playing then that's normal, that's good. But, Asensio, Isco and Jovic are training well. Asensio, Isco and Jovic will have minutes.

"I have to evaluate the condition of the players who have played. I'm thinking about making some changes [in the next match], but I need to see [Tuesday's] training session first. But yes, we're thinking about making some changes. It's difficult to pick the line-ups."

Asensio's situation is one to keep an eye on over the following months - he is likely to feature due to Madrid's rotations but may be at the stage of his career where he is demanding first-team football.