Bundesliga giants Schalke 04 could be forced to sell a crop of their most talented players due to the the dire financial situation at the Veltins-Arena, alerting a host of Premier League clubs.

Despite making an excellent start to the season, off the field things are a little less rosy for Felix Magath's men who, according to German tabloid newspaper Bild, are reportedly keen to cash in on up to eight players to ease their economic worries.

The Gelsenkirchen based outfit are just one of many football clubs in and around Europe's top leagues who are struggling financially, and with times being so hard, the club appear to have no other option but to sell their prized assets.

Manchester United could be one beneficiary of the news, with highly-rated goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and Brazilian right-back Rafinha reportedly catching the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson in recent weeks.

Arsenal and Liverpool are thought to be monitoring Croatian playmaker Ivan Rakitic, who, at just 21 is already causing a stir with a number of sparkling displays.

Other players mentioned include Albert Streit, striker Gerald Asamoah, Halil Altintop, Vicente Sanchez and midfielder Levan Kobiashvili, as well as prolific striker Kevin Kuranyi.

Kuranyi, 27, has already grabbed six goals in 10 appearances this season and with his contract set to expire at the end of the current campaign, the likes of Aston Villa, Blackburn and Tottenham could swoop.