Real Madrid are finding it hard to negotiate the sale of the five or six players they need to offload to raise cash to fund more purchases, director general Jorge Valdano said on Thursday.
They beat Athletic Bilbao 4-0 at the Bernabeu on Thursday to make the grade.
With no fans allowed into venues and Real playing their home games at the 6,000-capacity Alfredo Di Stefano stadium while the Santiago Bernabeu is being refurbished, it will be a title race unlike any other.
Rumours and speculations abound that Cristiano Ronaldo will be heading to Old Trafford soon.
Lionel Messi's double strike helped Barcelona scrape a 3-2 victory over Real Sociedad on Saturday to keep the pressure on La Liga leaders Real Madrid, who needed a brace from Isco to beat Sporting Gijon by the same scoreline.
Without Stade de Reims neither Real Madrid and Ronaldo might be where they are today.\n\n
A round-up of Saturday's action in Serie A, La Liga and Bundesliga.
Newcomers BATE Borisov got away lightly with a 2-0 defeat against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in their Champions League debut in Group H on Wednesday. Sergio Ramos gave the nine-times European champions an early lead and they threatened an avalanche of goals but BATE held firm until early in the second half. Ruud van Nistelrooy doubled the advantage with his 54th goal in the competition.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane denied his side were facing a crisis after they drew 1-1 at home to La Liga minnows Eibar and racked up a fourth consecutive draw for the first time in more than 10 years.
World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo has broken several months of near-silence to rebuff media reports he is unhappy at Real Madrid and might be seeking an exit.
The Welshman has a contract until 2022 and was set to make a lucrative move to the Chinese Super League last year before the transfer was scuttled when Real made a last-minute decision to insist on a transfer fee rather than terminate his contract.
Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has quashed persistent transfer rumours, saying he had never thought of leaving the StamfordBridge and that he is extremely happy with his current club.
Describing it as his 'dream' to stay at Real Madrid for many years to come, star striker Cristiano Ranoldo has reiterated his desire to continue with the Spanish giants following a stellar year for the Portugal forward. "It's my dream to keep playing for Real Madrid and I really want to stay here for many years because the club holds a special place in my heart," Ronaldo was quoted as saying by goal.com.
Barcelona will look to take a big step towards their first La Liga title in four years, when they take on Real Madrid this weekend.
Real Madrid charged seven points clear at the top of the Primera Liga after a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao.
The result continued a dismal streak for Madrid, who have won only two of their last five games in all competitions
Bayern edge closer to Bundesliga title after win at Arminia
The Liverpool striker's contract runs out at the end of this coming season, when he will be able to leave the club on a free transfer.
Zinedine Zidane was thrilled to steer Real Madrid to a second consecutive Champions League final in which his team will bid to defend their title against his former club Juventus.
Real Madrid survived red cards for Fabio Coentrao and Angel Di Maria, and an injury to Iker Casillas, to draw 1-1 in Valencia, and qualify for the King's Cup semi-finals 3-1 on aggregate on Wednesday.
The players celebrated in front of the fans and video footage showed them dancing and making gestures towards the Atletico supporters, who responded by throwing objects from the stands.
The Spanish champions' new coach Bernd Schuster said the Argentine striker will be joining the club soon.
Real Madrid misjudged David Beckham this season and blundered over their treatment of the player, according to coach Fabio Capello.
The Juventus striker will miss next week's Champions League clash with Real Madrid after being sidelined by flu.
Real Madrid midfielder Guti is leaving the La Liga giants after a quarter of a century and mulling an offer from Turkish club Besiktas.
Zinedine Zidane cast doubt on his long-term future at Real Madrid by saying he is unsure if he will be in charge of the club next season. The former midfielder was named as Rafael Benitez's successor in January when he signed a contract until June 2018. But when asked what role he would have in the Liga club's transfer dealings for next season, Zidane said he did not know if he would still be at the Bernabeu. "I can't know what role I'm going to have if I don't know if I'm going to be here. We'll see what happens at the end of the season," Zidane was quoted as saying by Spanish newspaper Marca. The 43-year-old was also asked if Madrid would make another attempt to sign David de Gea after their move for the Manchester United and Spain goalkeeper fell through on the last day of the transfer window last August.
Real Madrid are also interested in signing Borussia Dortmund's German international defender Christoph Metzelder.
Real hold a 2-1 lead after the first leg in Germany last week, however the Frenchman insists the job is nowhere near complete.
Real Madrid forwards Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema struck to give their side a 2-0 win at home to Eibar in La Liga
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho will confront the home fans who whistled him at their midweek King's Cup match by walking out alone onto the Bernabeu pitch 40 minutes before Saturday's La Liga match with Atletico Madrid.
In an eventful match with plenty of needle, Vinicius was fired up, snapping into tackles and encouraging the crowd to make more noise
Real Madrid have moved to broaden their options in attack by agreeing to sign Mexico striker Javier Hernandez on loan from Manchester United for the 2014-15 season.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez says the Spanish club has overtaken Manchester United as the biggest earner in world soccer.
Real Madrid fan Rafa Nadal may be distracted by the thrilling climax to the soccer season during his Madrid Open final with arch rival Roger Federer on Sunday.
Real Madrid have agreed to loan attacking midfielder Sergio Canales to Valencia for the next two seasons, the Spanish clubs said in statements on Thursday.
The England captain believes the manner of the team's qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League proves they can challenge for honours this season.
Ramos acknowledged 'there were some calls' when he entered the final six months of his contract but stressed 'leaving Real Madrid was never on my mind'.
Real Madrid paid more than 200 million euros ($227.76 million) to assemble their forward line of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, but the attacking trio failed them again in Wednesday's Champions League exit to Juventus.
