PEREZ PREFERS ECONOMIC ASPECTS

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has admitted that a club famed for cherry-picking the best talent in world football identify transfer targets based on sporting and economic criteria. The Liga heavyweights have always boasted some of the finest talent, but the pursuit of the very best has been stepped up under Perez's regime. Real have made a habit of acquiring at least one marquee signing every summer, while some seasons have seen several high-profile figures added to the squad. And now Perez has admitted that much thought is given to merchandise opportunities as the ability each addition brings to the fold. In an interview with BBC World Service, Perez said: “People understand the obvious – that we sign big players like Ronaldo, Zidane and Figo. But after the players there is the economic sports equation. “In our model it is fundamental to understand that in the signing of every player, we have to have in our heads: what's the income generated?”