Real Madrid pull up welcome mat

Real Madrid’s lavish recruitment drive will stop until players leave to create vacancies in the side, the club’s managing director said on Thursday.

“The front door is closed until others players have left,” Jorge Valdano said, while admitting an exception was being made in the case of Spanish midfielder Esteban Granero who is returning from Getafe.

Another Spanish player, striker Alvaro Negredo has returned to the Bernabeu from Almeria under a similar arrangement.

Among other players for sale at the Bernabeu is Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who was linked with a move to Stuttgart and more recently with Tottenham.

“Right now we do not have any serious offers for him,” Valdano said.

“We had a great opportunity but the player let it pass because he had other expectations. We are hoping to find a club interested in him,” he added.

Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze is also on the “for sale” list, but the size of his wage packet is proving an obstacle.

Marseille were interested in the 31-year-old but they cooled off when confronted with a 4.2 million euro price tag.

Real have spent at least 209 million euros this summer on Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul Albiol and Karim Benzema.

The Spanish club has unsuccessfully attempted to lure French star Franck Ribery from Bayern Munich as well as Spanish international Xabi Alonso from Liverpool.