Real Madrid to sell four or five by end of August - Report
Wednesday, August 5, 2009 @ 4:29 PM
Xabi Alonso's arrival at Real Madrid takes their first team squad to 29, so the club must let four players go before the end of August and have chosen five candidates, according to a report. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Arjen Robben, Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder and Alvaro Negredo are all on Los Merengues' list as they cannot be promised regular first team football next term.
With only one set to be kept, coach Manuel Pellegrini will hold talks with the board about which players he believes should go and which one of the quintet he most wants. Sneijder has the best chance of staying after being praised by the Chilean trainer in pre-season following some encouraging performances in the Madrid side. Huntelaar has already been told that he is leaving permanently, while Negredo is now aware that he will either be loaned or sold with a buy-back clause included.
Also Van der Vaart has made it clear that he cannot work with Pellegrini and wants out, leaving Robben to try and justify his place at the club, AS state. Publicly rejecting Tottenham Hotspur this week, the former Chelsea star is evidently confident of staying, but that appears unlikely as the board are not keen on him. Robben's injury record has not impressed them, and with the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo and the return of Esteban Granero, the club have more reliable players to fill his place. Royston Drenthe and Ruud van Nistelrooy have been previously mentioned as possible players to go, but the former has impressed in pre-season and the striker is wanted to provide competition up front.
Source: Goal.com