Valencia may be forced to sell players to resolve the club's financial problems, the Primera Liga side's new chief executive, Javier Gómez, said. The club's potentially most valuable players are Spanish internationals David Villa and David Silva, who have both been linked with Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and other Premier League clubs.

Gómez was promoted to CEO after a board meeting on Wednesday and the Spanish media reported it was with the support of Spanish bank Bancaja, the club's major creditor which is owed €240m (£213m) out of a total debt of around €450m (£400m).

"The club is in a very delicate situation. It has to control spending, grow income and sell assets," Gómez said. "Obviously we will consider [selling players]," he said. "We have to control costs and the biggest cost in a football club is maintaining a team."