What's next for Real Madrid?

It's never easy for a club of Real Madrid's stature to finish a season without conquering any trophies. This team appeared to be on the right path until 2015 started. Ancelotti and his men had figured out a way to effectively replace Luka Modric, but when James and Sergio Ramos went down things started to go terribly wrong in terms of the team's play.

The season is now over and Real Madrid now need to answer many questions about the short-term future.

1. Is this project over? If the answer is yes -- something very likely --  expect Real Madrid to sack Carlo Ancelotti and bring either Klopp or Zidane in. Would that be a right move? Probably not, but it's hard to stay as Real Madrid's coach without winning anything. The lack of an obvious replacement could make Ancelotti stay, though. It will all be decided during the next few weeks.
2. What happens with Iker Casillas? Real Madrid said good-bye to the Champions League but it's fair to state that Casillas had nothing to do with it. Real are after David De Gea and United's goalkeeper still refuses to sign an extension with his club, so the negotiations should be fairly manageable. Casillas, however, is an entirely different conversation. The goalkeeper will want to stay and finish his €10 million/year contract or leave on a free with the €20 million owed by Real over the next two years. Casillas might accept a move elsewhere, but he's not going to leave for free and he has every right to demand the money he has left on his contract. Will Real Madrid pull the trigger? Who will make a move first?
3. How many other players will leave? Considering Casillas as a goner, there are many others players that will not be in Real Madrid next season: Sami Khedira is free to leave, Coentrao will almost certainly be sold, just like Illarramendi. Lucas Silva will likely be sent on loan as he doesn't appear to be ready, and the same could happen to Jesé. Those 6 players appear to be the obvious choices, but huge sales could happen. Will Bale stay? Will Cristiano Ronaldo?
4. What about the signings? If 6 players are going to leave the club, expect at least 6 signings to replace them, right? Danilo is a done deal, De Gea will come if Casillas leaves, and maybe Casemiro will be back from FC Porto. Other than that, it's not that easy to name Real's next signings, although Los Blancos have interest in players like Marco Verratti and David Alaba.

All in all, the first question is the one that needs to be answered, as it will have a huge impact on the decisions the club takes next. If Ancelotti leaves, the new coach will bring a new tactical idea that would require some other signings. Kroos, for instance, might not be consider a Defensive Midfielder under a new coach, so Real Madrid need to make a call on Ancelotti's future sooner rather than later.