The Ballon d'Or winner shocked European football this week by reportedly advising his club that he wishes to leave the Santiago Bernabeu, but who are the main candidates to replace him...

Should Cristiano Ronaldo leave Real Madrid, the Spanish side will replace him with one of Kylian Mbappe, Robert Lewandowski, or Paulo Dybala, according to the Metro.

The Portuguese superstar has enjoyed an incredible year for club and country in which he has won the European Championships with Portugal and the Spanish Primera Division and Champions League with Los Blancos, but rumours of discontent have circulated from his camp after reports he is under investigation by the Spanish authorities for alleged unpaid taxes over the period of 2011 to 2014. It seems these accusations are the last straw for Ronaldo, who still unbelievably receives jeers from some portions of the Madrid fans.

Madrid chairman, Florentino Perez, will be under pressure to replace him with another 'Galactico' should CR7 make the move away, and it seems there is a shortlist of three candidates who may fill the void come the start of next season.

The first is Mbappe. The young Frenchman has lit up Europe this season with his outstanding performances in the Champions League and also helped Monaco topple the Ligue 1 monopoly lead by Paris Saint-Germain in recent seasons as the Monte Carlo outfit won the France top-flight.

Robert Lewandowski has long been linked with a move to Spain following a string of superb seasons with Borussia Dortmund and then Bayern Munich. So far, a Champions League title has alluded him, so perhaps Real Madrid could use the prospect of winning Europe's premier club competition as an incentive for him to feature in the famous white jersey.

The third option is Dybala of Juventus, who has once again helped the Old Lady win the Serie A with complete dominance. He actually featured in the Champions League final against Madrid a few weeks ago, so it is indeed possible Zinedine Zidane started a little scouting mission on him - whilst guiding his charges to the trophy of course!

All options present exciting opportunities for Madrid, but if Ronaldo does leave who will they swoop for? Let us know in the comments.