Real Madrid's priority changes from purchases to sale

Real Madrid's historic spending spree has been suspended, at least for the time being, as they turn their attention to selling some unwanted players.

The Spanish giants took Planet Football by storm in June, spending around 210 million euros (292.96 million dollars), on Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Raul Albiol.

Now, according to sports dailies AS and Marca Tuesday, Real president Florentino Perez has made it clear that there will be no new signings until at least five of the club's many unwanted players have been sold.

AS said that Perez has given the club's general director Jorge Valdano until July 27 to offload at least some of handful of the misfits from a bloated squad currently containing 32 players.

At the top of Real's list of unwanted players, apparently, are Dutchmen Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Rafael Van der Vaart, Royston Drenthe, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben.

Huntelaar is close to signing for Germany's VfB Stuttgart, with AS Roma also rumoured to be interested.

New coach Manuel Pellegrini said he would like Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder to stay, at the same time as asking for a new full- back and two more midfielders.

Other players unwanted at the Bernabeu include veteran defenders Michel Salgado and Gabriel Heinze, plus anchorman Mahamadou Diarra.

However, most of the players on Valdano's "hitlist" are reluctant to leave Madrid because of their lucrative Real salaries, salaries that other clubs - for example Stuttgart with Huntelaar - are unwilling to or simply can not match.

So far, Valdano has only been able to sell third-choice goalkeeper Jordi Codina (to Getafe) and unwanted reserve striker Javier Saviola (to Benfica).

Marca hinted that Valdano might try to tempt new Bayern Munich coach Louis Van Gaal into taking some of Real's unwanted fellow- Dutchmen, possibly in exchange or part-payment for winger Franck Ribery.

Ribery, mysteriously injured at the moment, has made it clear that he wants to leave Bayern for Real, but Perez is unwilling to pay the 80 million euros that Bayern are demanding for the Frenchman.

Not even Perez has an unlimited supply of ready cash and credit, it seems, after having spent so freely in June.

Last updated on Jul 14^th, 2009 at 19:55 pm IST--DPA