BERLIN (Reuters) - German retailer Metro said on Tuesday it is trying a new approach to find a new wage deal with employees at its struggling Real hypermarket chain after two years of talks with trade union Verdi failed to yield results.

Metro said in a statement it would try to reach a more modern and flexible agreement under the auspices of the AHD business association, adding that Real's management wanted to avoid cuts to the salaries of existing employees.

Metro has long argued that Real's current collective wage agreement puts it at a disadvantage to other German retailers.

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson, editing by David Evans)