After unsuccessfully trying to get Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United, Real Madrid have moved closer to home with the news that they have offered over 45 million euros for Valencia striker David Villa, the top scorer at Euro 2008 which was won by Spain.
The amount which the club, which is looking for a possible replacement for Brazilian striker Robinho who has said he wants to join Chelsea, are willing to pay for the 26-year-old varies between 47 and 48 million euros, the web sites of sports dailies Marca and AS reported.
Valencia has so far rejected the offer but a meeting between officials from both clubs and the player’s agent has been scheduled for Tuesday, AS reported. Real’s German coach Bernd Schuster has insistently demanded that the club recruit a striker if Robinho leaves the Spanish champions as he has said he would like to, Spanish media have reported.
Among the other strikers who have been linked to a move to Real are Chelsea’s Didier Drogba, Lyon’s Karim Benzema and Ajax’s Klas-Jan Huntelaar.
Real has not been very active in the European summer transfer period which ends at the end of August, even though it has the financial resources for a major deal. Dutch international midfielder Rafael van der Vaart, who signed with Real for five years from German side Hamburg, has been the club’s only new signing for the upcoming season.
Real signed Argentine defender Ezequiel Garay from Racing Santander at the end of the season but under the terms of the deal the player will only join the club in the 2009-10 season. In addition, midfielders Javi Garcia and Ruben de la Red, who helped Spain win the Euro 2008 title in June, have rejoined Real after a season with Osasuna and Getafe respectively.
