The struggle to make an impact at the Bernabeu could lead to Jese Rodriguez's Real Madrid exit in the new year after it emerged Serie A giants Napoli are in the hunt for his signature.
Spanish newspaper Sport has cited Italian sources, reporting Rafa Benitez's former club is monitoring the situation of the out-of-favour attacker.
Jese has made just three La Liga appearances this season as the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, James Rodriguez and Isco account for a wealth of the playing time in attack.
It's already been alleged by Spanish newspaper AS that Napoli were looking to sign the winger on a six-month loan this winter after failing to make a dent in Benitez's plans, per Football Italia.
Jese's hopes of a future at the Bernabeu also haven't been helped by claims from Sport writer Alejandro Alcazar, who claimed Benitez isn't a fan of his hobby as a rapper, which takes his attention away from training.
It's no longer just the superstars of Los Blancos who are beginning to reign over Jese in the Real pecking order, either, as ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan indicated fellow fringe players are now closer to being picked:
It's a disappointing situation for a player who was once being teed up as one of Spain's most promising prospects but managed to make just three league starts last season, albeit contending with a knee injury at the time.
Former Castilla academy member and ex-team-mate Enrique Castano—now playing for Las Palmas' reserves—recently spoke to Goal's Alberto Pinero, sharing his view on Jese's wasted potential (some language NSFW):
Jese is f----d up, really, over his lack of playing time at Madrid. It is normal. All players who don't play and are able to do so get annoyed at this. It's true that he worked hard during pre-season. For many days we were training together. I don't understand his disappearance from the team after a good pre-season.
He was one of the best in the summer, he scored lots of goals. Now I do not understand what's going on: how could he be the first choice after Benzema and now he is not even an option? I think something must have happened, but I don't know what. I know he's training well.
A move to Naples would see Jese become the latest in a string of Spaniards to join the Serie A outfit, who have already brought in the likes of Pepe Reina, Jose Callejon, Raul Albiol and David Lopez in recent years.
The competition provided by forwards Lorenzo Insigne, Callejon and Dries Mertens may be considered favourable to the likes of Ronaldo and Bale, neither of whom Jese looks likely to depose anytime soon.
The 31 appearances Jese managed during the 2013-14 campaign remains his highest tally at Real Madrid, 12 of which were starts, where he scored eight goals to display his potential as a first-team asset.
However, Los Merengues need to make a decision on the player's future, and with his contract set to expire in 2017, a temporary move away could be the best move to benefit all parties.