Spanish Roundup

Real looks to cut squad to fund defensive signing

MADRID (Reuters) -- Real Madrid is aiming to sign a new center back to complete its squad but wants to release several players including midfielders Steve McManaman and Pedro Munitis before going through with any move.

New coach Carlos Queiroz said that the team's performances on its recent tour of the Far East had not caused him to change his opinion that the club needed to sign another defender.

"After seeing what happened on tour there are plenty of reasons why we should sign a new center back," the former Manchester United assistant coach told sports daily Marca on Tuesday.

The recruitment of a new defender has been a priority since former captain Fernando Hierro was released at the end of last season and the signing of his replacement Gabriel Milito fell through after the Argentine failed a club medical.

Real's only purchase so far has been England captain David Beckham, who signed for a fee of up to 35 million euros (US$39.74 million) from Manchester United in late June.

But Real's sporting director Jorge Valdano said that there would be no other new signings until the club had managed to offload some of the unwanted players from its squad.

"The club is waiting for players to leave in order to sign a new defender," Valdano told reporters when the team returned to Madrid on Monday.

"I don't want to be too hard on the players who didn't play on the tour, but they know what their situation is and we have to look for solutions so that the squad is reduced to the size we want."

Midfielders McManaman and Munitis both went with Real to Asia but did not play in any of the four exhibition matches and the club has made it clear that neither player features in its plans for the forthcoming season.

Munitis's representative Javier Gonzalez told Radio Marca on Monday that the player "was looking to leave Real immediately," but McManaman has remained tight-lipped over his future.

The former Liverpool and England player, who has one season left on his contract at Real, is reported in the British media to have attracted interest from both Everton and Manchester City.

He has always resisted pressure to leave the club, but this season his prospects of playing are so slim that he may have to reconsider his future.

Sevilla's Silva suffers thigh injury

SEVILLA, Spain (AP) -- Sevilla's Uruguayan international striker Dario Silva has torn muscle fibers in his left thigh, the club said Wednesday.

Sevilla said it could not say how long Silva would be out of action although news reports said it could be three weeks. In that case, the striker is likely to miss Sevilla's opening match of the Spanish league season when it hosts Atletico de Madrid on Aug. 31.

Silva sustained the injury during an exhibition match against Panathinaikos on Sunday after scoring the winning goal.

The striker, who joined Sevilla on a three-year contract from Malaga this summer, was ejected the previous day in a match against his former club.

 

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