Real
Madrid may have spent all summer
signing players, but they are now ready to commence a massive
selling operation.
According to Marca,
Los Merengues are hoping to raise around €100 million from the sale
of six players: Arjen Robben (€25m), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (€20m),
Mahamadou Diarra (€20m), Alvaro Negredo (€17m), Rafael van der
Vaart (€15m) and Gabriel Heinze (€10m).
However, selling these players has not proven an easy task. Thus
far, Huntelaar's case is the most advanced, with a €18m offer from
Stuttgart on the table. The Dutch striker has not travelled to
Ireland for the pre-season tour, but he is yet to commit to a move.
Jorge Valdano has instructed him to make his mind up by
Monday.
Negredo, meanwhile, is attracting interest from Villarreal and
Sevilla, but they are refusing to pay Real Madrid's asking price.
Therefore, a move to England seems most likely, and Tottenham
Hotspur are the favourites at the moment. Madrid had tried to
include him in a deal to buy David Villa, but Valencia were not
interested.
Finally, Heinze is wanted by Marseille and his former club, Paris
Saint-Germain, but they are both unwilling to match his current
wages.
Robben, Van der Vaart and Diarra are still to attract any official
bids. However, Madrid might compensate by selling Javi Garcia, who
seems on the verge of joining Benfica, while Wesley Sneijder could
be used in an exhcange deal to land Xabi Alonso, although that
would not generate any money for Los Merengues.
<!--h3>Arjun Migliani</h3-->