Real to sell before buying again - Valdano

By Iain Rogers

MADRID (Reuters) - Real Madrid need to sell at least five players to raise the cash to fund more signings, the club's director general Jorge Valdano said on Monday.

Under new president Florentino Perez, Real have spent more than 200 million euros (173 million pounds) over the past month, including a record 93 million euros on Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo and 67 million on Brazilian playmaker Kaka.

"We need money to continue being active in the market. And at the moment to get money we have to sell players," Valdano said in an interview with Reuters at the club's offices in the Bernabeu stadium.

"We need to trim at least five players from the squad. The priority over the next few weeks is the sale of players and not the signing of new ones."

Real have six Dutch players, including strikers Ruud van Nistelrooy and Klaas Jan Huntelaar, winger Arjen Robben and midfielder Wesley Sneijder in their ranks, and Spanish media have speculated that several may leave.

Huntelaar, who only arrived in the Spanish capital during the last winter transfer window, has been linked with Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart, although he is reportedly unhappy with their wage offer.

"Things are progressing with some players," Valdano said when asked how talks on potential sales were going.

"But a bit of calm is needed in some cases because we have to complete the negotiations with the clubs."