Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale?

It seems that Real Madrid is intent on selling one of the two superstars next summer to create some roster flexibility.

The decision seems tough for a couple of reasons. On one hand, you have the team's all-time leading scorer and talisman. On the other, you have a player that is set to be the heir-apparent.

Yet the situation is far more complex. Ronaldo is the goalscoring machine (or was), but he is in poor form of late and seems quite interested in bolting if given the chances.

Bale, on the other hand, cannot stay healthy and despite some solid performances this season, has yet to prove that he can sustain a high level of play for a whole season and stay healthy as well. He had a great debut year with Los Blancos in 2013-14, but struggled with health in the early going. That was a theme in 2014-15 but it was compounded by Bale's erratic form.

He has been far better this year, but his health continues to be a concern as he enters and departs the lineup consistently.

Both players would fetch a big return for Madrid and it seems that Ronaldo might be the man that eventually gets cut. But the question lingers -- is Bale ready to take over the role of being the main man?

For what it's worth, nothing in Madrid happens in a vacuum. Usually moves are made that correspond with what is happening over in Barcelona. And to this point, that team is loaded with offensive talent. Neymar and Luis Suarez have apparently made Lionel Messi quite dispensable and both players have had a knack for scoring big goals while the Argentine has been out absent. Neymar scored 40 a year ago and looks primed to smash that number. Luis Suarez is likely to cash in on close to 30 or more if he continues his current form.

Bale has yet to hit 30 for Madrid and did not even manage 20 in his second year for the aforementioned reasons. Ronaldo on the other hand is still on pace to hit 40 in all competitions if he scores at his current rate.

No one else on the team seems ready to replace that number of goals which could be a big problem for Los Blancos in the arms race that is La Liga. Robert Lewandowski would be a huge buy, but he has never hit 40 in a year; he did hit over 30 in 2012-13 while playing for Borussia Dortmund and could be on pace for topping 30 this year as well.

But that is just speculation and there is no guarantee that he makes the move, leaving Madrid with a lot of goals to make up for without Ronaldo. One could argue that the team does not need a massive goalscorer, especially if it will continue to grind out 1-0 wins under Rafa Benitez.

But those watching the game know that Madrid's defense can be porous at times and if not for the genius of Keylor Navas, this team would have lost a lot more than it has to date.

Ronaldo might be worth as much as he ever will be, especially given his recent poor play. Yet there is no denying that Ronaldo is still scoring consistently for the team and given the proper service and regressing back to his career averages, he might still be a strong scorer for a few more years.

Moreover, there is an argument to be made that Bale right now might be easier to cash in on than Ronaldo, especially if the Portuguese star continues to struggle. That, in turn, might open up opportunities for Madrid to bring in other top end talent to supplement its team; talent that will not cost $100 million and be just as effective and stay healthy.

Madrid might lose a player that was slated to be the main man, but Bale has yet to prove that he can handle that challenge for the long haul.

Who would you sell?