MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid's German coach Bernd Schuster said Friday in a newspaper interview that he will stay on at the Spanish giants even it the team fails to defend its league title this season.

The 48-year-old told sports daily Marca that Real president Ramon Calderon recently told him "that he wanted me to stay even if we don't win the league."

Real are at the top of the league table but the club saw its advantage over nearest rivals FC Barcelona shrink to four points after losing 3-2 to Valencia at home on Sunday.

The club, which at one point this season had a nine point lead over the Catalan side, has lost five matches so far this year and earlier this month it crashed out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage.

"I know we must win but we are in the process of building a team and there is still work to be done. We need this summer (to recruit). And I hope to carry out the second part of this project having won the league," Schuster said.

"We have lost many matches but we are the leaders, we have a four point lead over Barcelona and we can win the league," he added.

Schuster, who played for Real between 1988 and 1990, replaced Italy's Fabio Capello as the club's coach after the team won the league title last season.

He paid the buy-out of 480,000 euros (758,500 dollars) of his contract with Spanish side Getafe out of his own pocket to be free to sign with Real for three seasons.