Real Madrid have contacted several ­Premier League clubs with a list of nine players they are keen to offload as they desperately seek to recover some of the £150m they spent on Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka. Arjen Robben and Ruud van Nistelrooy are among those for sale.

A fax has been sent from the Bernabéu that includes the names of the club's Dutch players, as well as the former Manchester United full-back Gabriel Heinze. Robben and Van Nistelrooy are joined by their compatriots Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart and Royston Drenthe. The defensive midfielder Mahamadou Diarra and the striker Javier Saviola have also been made available.