Manchester United prepare for transfer battle with Real Madrid over Antonio Valencia

Manchester United are preparing to go head-to-head with Real Madrid in a bid to sign Antonio Valencia from Wigan.

United are reluctant to pay Wigan's asking price of £16 million even though it is understood that Valencia, the Ecuadorian winger, would prefer to stay in the Premier League.

According to the Daily Mail, the two clubs made an initial agreement about the transfer last December but Sir Alex Ferguson's scouts were underwhelmed by the 23 year-old's performances in the second half of the season and as such are questioning his value.

Real meanwhile are understood to have offered the asking price last month, and despite their pursuit of Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery and United's Cristiano Ronaldo, remain interested in Valencia.

Valencia's agent, Diego Herrera, said: "I cannot confirm the news that Manchester and Madrid have made bids because I haven't spoken with Wigan yet.

"I will be in touch with them st the start of the week, hopefully on Monday. Of course this is great news because it is the right moment for Antonio Valencia to join a bigger club and start a new challenge with a great team.

"He has proved himself in the Premier League with Wigan and is definitely good enough to make the step to something bigger.

"They are both great football clubs and making a decision is tough."

Meanwhile, Steve Bruce, the former Wigan manager who recently switched to Sunderland, is understood to have expressed interest in signing Titus Bramble and Lee Cattermole from the JJB Stadium club.

Kaka has Real medical

AC Milan playmaker Kaka has undergone a medical in Brazil at the request of Real Madrid.

The Spanish giants are looking to strengthen their squad over the summer and have been linked with several of the world's top players since Florentino Perez took over as president.

Kaka is among their top targets and Milan have admitted it could be difficult to keep him during the transfer window.

Rossoneri owner Silvio Berlusconi is set to speak with Kaka in an effort to persuade him to stay but a world-record move to the Santiago Bernabeu is expected to go through.

Such a switch has now moved a step closer with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirming that Kaka has had a medical.

The 27-year-old, who has previously been linked with Premier League clubs, is currently in his homeland on international duty.

A statement on the CBF website read: "The technical committee of the Brazilian national team attended the request of Kaka and the board of Real Madrid and released the player to perform the routine examinations in a clinic in Recife.

"The CBF had to make all the arrangements for the test through its Medical Department head Jose Luiz Runco, who accompanied the player during the tests."

Kaka will link up with his Brazil team-mates for training before holding a press conference later in the day when an announcement could be made.

Brazil face Paraguay in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday after beating Uruguay 4-0 over the weekend.

Kaka scored the fourth goal from the penalty spot after being felled in the area.

Real Madrid wants Cristiano Ronaldo, Franck Ribéry , David Silva and Xabi Alonso; not just Kaka

Florentino Perez doesn't intend for Real Madrid's summer spending to end with the capture of AC Milan star Kaka.

Marca says Perez is determined to bring the biggest names available to Madrid before the start of the season and also has Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), David Villa (Valencia), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich), David Silva (Valencia) and Xabi Alonso (Liverpool) on his shopping list.

A potential starting XI for Manuel Pellegrini could be:

Iker Casillas - Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Raul Albiol, Marcelo - Xabi Alonso, Silva, Ribéry, Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo - Villa.

Cristiano Ronaldo may cost Real Madrid up to £26 million

The suggestion came about during an interview with the club's new vice-president, Fernando Tapias, who said Real will be hit by a penalty clause in the alledged 'pre-contract' arranged between former leader Ramon Calderon and Ronaldo's representative Jorge Mendes.

According to the Independent, Spanish radio station Cadena COPE asked Tapias if there was any truth in suggestions that Real would be forced to pay out if they failed to sign the Portuguese winger.

Tapias responded: "Yes...but that is not our fault. Ronaldo is a great player. I remember when I was last at the club and [Luis] Figo was here telling people about him.

"He is one of the best players in the world.

"That he has a special character and that the price is exorbitant is also true. Maybe Fifa should put a €50 million price cap on transfers."

Re-appointed president Florentino Perez has made no secret of his intentions to sign the world's biggest names this summer in a bid to see Real return to its Galacticos era, and Ronaldo has always been at the forefront of his plans.

In spite of the supposed £26 million penalty they face if a deal for Ronaldo falls through, Perez is confident negotiations will come to a successful conclusion by the end of this month.

With Kaka's move from AC Milan to the Spanish capital already said to be a done deal, when asked of the rest of his summer intentions, Perez said: "The best players in the world, the ones that have won the Fifa World Player of the Year award are Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo - they are the players Real Madrid fans demand.

"We have to will to complete the transfer of Kaka, we are not nervous and I hope in a few days we will happily announce the deal.

"I have said Ronaldo does interest us. We have to resolve this and the other big signings in this month of June. In pain there are get out clauses. In many cases that eliminates negotiations.

"It seems in the case of Ronaldo he does have a get-out clause and it means if the player brings the money stipulated in the clause he can go."

Perez is also understood to have his eye on Franck Ribery and David Villa.

By: Emily Benammar
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Galacticos II: Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo

Florentino Perez is a conjuror. The president of Real Madrid, who vanished from the job when the going got tough, reappeared in charge of the club six days ago. Quite an apparition it was, too. In a flash, all other possible candidates for the post stood aside and Perez waltzed back into the post without so much as a ballot form being printed.

That was when he started talking like the magician of old. Anybody who followed Real Madrid during the so-called Galactico Era, between 2000 and 2006, when Perez last held the presidency and collected superstars like stamps, instantly recognised his spiel, his mysterious axioms. “The costliest players are often the cheapest,” he said through his thin-lipped smile, preparing to break the world record for a transfer fee by signing Kaka from Milan. The Kaka deal, at a fee of about £58m, will be announced officially in the next two days. It is, Perez beams, the first of several eye-catching recruitments he plans for the summer.

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Real Madrid want Cristiano Ronaldo said Perez

Real Madrid's pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo will be conducted with the utmost professionalism according to Florentino Perez.

The recently installed Madrid president is in the midst of reviving the galactico era at the Bernabeu, and with the arrival of Kaka virtually guaranteed, Perez has now turned his attention to Manchester United's prized asset - just as Madrid did last summer.

However, unlike that previous transfer saga - a long and protracted tale of claims, counterclaims and downright bitterness - the Madrid supremo is adamant that things will be done the right way this time around as they attempt to secure the services of player who has a £80 million buyout clause in his United contract.

"From what I hear, there is an agreement between the player and his club," Perez told The Times newspaper.

"If one day there is a chance of him playing for Real Madrid, that would be an honour for us.

"But if I had to choose between the friendship with Manchester United and the signing of Ronaldo, I would choose the friendship.

"Plus, I have never said that Cristiano will arrive in June. That is an arrogant and false statement.

"Cristiano is, of course, a player we are interested in, he is one of the best in the world."

Not that Perez is intending to stop with Ronaldo.

Bayern Munich ace Franck Ribery, Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso and Valencia favourite David Villa are also on his radar, although Perez is determined to make friends throughout all of Real's transfer negotiations over the coming weeks.

"I shall be talking with United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, and their chief executive David Gill to build bridges," he said.

"If we sign Kaka from Milan, I can assure you that we will still have a very good relationship with their general manager Adriano Galliani.

"Of course, we want the best players to join us here - but only if their club wants to sell them. Ask Gill, David Dein and Roman Abramovich.

"I have an excellent relationship with them and it is essential to me that continues. I represent a club where elegance and gentlemanliness has been always our flag.

"Ronaldo or whoever will come if their club wants to sell. To force through a situation is very bad for our image. If someone has acted in that way at some point, I offer my apologies and can assure you that it will not happen again."

"I am not a betting man, but whatever happens I will still leave friends in Manchester."

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