The soccer universe exploded on Thursday morning with a rather shocking proclamation from Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.

"[Angel] Di Maria asked to go in the summer and has rejected an offer from the club," said Ancelotti at a news conference according to BBC. "The player has to look for a solution. If when the transfer market closes he's still here, he will work with us like last season and there will be no problem."

The idea that the Argentine superstar was on his way out of Madrid is actually not particularly surprising. He has been rumored to leave since last summer, but remained as Mesut Özil became the sacrificial lamb to balance Madrid's Financial Fair Play situation.

However, the arrival of James Rodriguez made it seem that Di Maria would take the fall yet again for another summer of activity. And now Ancelotti's proclamations actually make it seem that the inevitable is about to happen.

And what a disaster it would be.

At first glance, Real Madrid's transfer window looked rather solid. The team brought in World Cup stars James Rodriguez, Keylor Navas and Toni Kroos to bolster the defending European Champions. Those were their only transfers in and they seemed to add more depth to an already solid team.

Except the growing list of exits is creating tremendous concern and imbalance. Di Maria is likely to join the likes of Diego Lopez, Casemiro and Alvaro Morata as the team's main departure.

Lopez's leave means that the declining Iker Casillas gets a chance to lead the team (he should not given his recent form). Casemiro is a young prospect that is out on loan and could yet return. Morata was the only other striker behind Karim Benzema in the lineup. Without him and with a Benzema injury, Los Blancos do not have a natural forward and might have to resort to playing Rodriguez or Isco as a false nine. Neither has done well when given that role thus far.

But Di Maria is the biggest hole that would be left for Los Blancos. As evidenced during the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup, a midfield trio of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Xabi Alonso is not optimal. Kroos and Alonso occupy similar space and like to lie deep to retrieve the ball. Alonso is more stable defensively, but Kroos is better at finding the seams moving forward. Modric is a creative passer, but he is best used when he does not have to run deep into the midfield to retrieve the ball. With Kroos and Alonso, that has been his role.

Di Maria worked beautifully with Modric and Alonso because he tended to play box to box and had relentless pace and effort. His jagged runs made it hard to mark him and often forced other team defenses out of position, thus allowing the BBC of Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema and Gareth Bale more space to maneuver up top. It did not hurt that Di Maria is a terrific passer and led the team in assists.

Without him against Atletico on Tuesday, the team's midfield trio looked rather easy to shut down. Modric and Kroos were constantly forced to pass out wide where Ronaldo and Bale were rather easy to shut down. Benzema rarely played a part in the game because Diego Simeone's men simply had to clog the middle of the park to shut down Los Blancos.

Once Di Maria entered the game, Madrid's attack looked rejuvenated. His fearless runs forced the away side constantly out of position and made it easier for Modric and Kroos to find their much needed space.

There is a reason why Di Maria was undoubtedly the top player for Madrid throughout the year. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the goals, but it was Argentine who made Madrid's attack go and without him, the team could be in serious trouble.

While Barcelona has added the attacking prowess of Ivan Rakitic to give its midfield a creative boost, Los Blancos have seemingly taken a step back in this transfer window. The additions are wonderful, but the subtractions are tipping the balance in the other direction.

Even with the other major departures, Los Blancos remained the favorite to win everything. With him gone, things do not look so wonderful for the reigning European champs.

For the latest sports news, follow Latin Post Sports on Twitter.

FOR MORE SOCCER NEWS AND SOCCER TRANSFER UPDATES, CLICK ON THIS LINK TO VISIT LATIN POST.COM'S SPORTS PAGE.

Want to Hear More from David? Like David Salazar's Page on Facebook