SoccerNews.com

Real Madrid seem to have given up their hopes of landing Cristiano Ronaldo this season. Marca reports that Dutch international Rafael Van der Vaart will sign for the Spanish side next week.

The Spanish champions are said to be paying €10million euros (£7.8m) for his services, a fee that is expected to be accepted by Hamburg.

Van der Vaart is a player that Schuster always wanted. Schuster was quoted saying that he would be just as happy to sign Rafael van der Vaart as he would Ronaldo.

Van der Vaart has been linked with the Primera Liga champions for months, and now, it finally appears to materialize.

The 25-year-old said, “If I leave Hamburg it will only be for a big club like Real Madrid.”

[Source: Marca, SkySports]

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