Real Madrid Return may kill deal for Wolfsburg's Rodriguez

After a loan spell in Ligue 1, Fabio Coentrao is expected to form part of Real Madrid's first team squad for the 2016/17 campaign.

Spending the year at AS Monaco, the Portuguese left-back will return to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Although Los Blancos have been reportedly interested in Wolfsburg's Ricardo Rodriguez, they are unlikely to pay the €30 million price tag for a back-up.

Given that Marcelo has been a constant first-choice option best left-back in recent years, Rodriguez would be unlikely to start if he arrives.

The most likely outcome, therefore, is that Coentrao will be Marcelo's back-up next year, as he was in their four seasons together between 2011/12 and 2014/15.

Only Coentrao's injury history could deter Real Madrid from putting their faith in him; an injury-plagued season at Monaco limited the defender to 19 appearances.

He is currently recovering after undergoing surgery to fix a muscle injury picked up in April and the recovery process could be anything from three to six months.

There was interest in Coentrao from his former club Benfica last summer, but the Lisbon outfit were unable to afford him.

His contract with Real Madrid runs until 2019.