Fabregas tug of war - Barca and Real Madrid do battle for £40m Arsenal skipper Cesc

Real Madrid are ready to rival Barcelona with a move for Cesc Fabregas after being frustrated in the chase of Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso.

Madrid yesterday moved for Roma midfielder Daniele de Rossi but were immediately knocked back by the Italians, leaving them to turn to third-choice Fabregas.

And Barcelona president Joan Laporta last night said the Arsenal midfielder should not be ruled out as an alternative to Franck Ribery, the Barcelona star who increasingly looks to be beyond their financial reach.
It is only a fortnight since Arsenal skipper Fabregas publicly declared: 'I am wholeheartedly committed to Arsenal and my future lies with this great club.'
But that has not deterred Laporta, who recently said Barca was in Fabregas's DNA, or, it seems, Madrid.

Bernabeu sporting director Jorge Valdano has refused to completely rule out a move for Liverpool midfielder Alonso, but admitted they were nowhere near agreement with Rafa Benitez's valuation of the player.

Liverpool want £40m for the 27-year-old, according to reports in Spain, leading Madrid to make a £26m move for Rossi, but the Italians immediately ruled out the sale of their 25-year-old talisman.
Third choice is Fabregas, though Madrid have yet to make a bid and are also looking at Villarreal's 24-year-old Spain international Santi Cazorla.

Barcelona would love to sign Fabregas, who left the club for Arsenal when he was 16. Laporta yesterday said he hoped to sign a striker, left winger and midfielder.

Pep Guardiola would most likely team Fabregas with Xavi in central midfield, using Andres Iniesta in a more advanced role wide on the left.

The European champions are working on a restricted budget and would are hoping to push through the sale of Samuel Eto'o to Manchester City in a bid to boost their spending power above £60m.

Arsenal, who don't have the biggest budget themselves, may demand £40m for Fabregas, but Madrid believe they could get him cheaper and, at 22, he is better value for money than Alonso.

Fabregas, on holiday in New York, is frustrated by Arsenal's four-year run without a major trophy but is thought to be happy to stay at the Emirates for at least another season to see if there is an upturn in fortunes.

He is said to have an agreement with Sandro Rosell, who hopes to unseat Laporta as president in Barcelona elections next summer.

Watch Ronaldo's Real Madrid Unveiling Live

LEEDS, England , July 5 /PRNewswire/ -- bwin.com, the official sponsor of Real Madrid, will be providing live and exclusive online streaming of Cristiano Ronaldo's official unveiling as a Real Madrid player on Monday 6th July.
bwin.com will be the only place where supporters will be able to see the live unveiling of the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year as he completes his world record GBP80m move from Manchester United to the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo, who scored an incredible 117 goals in 242 starts during his time at Old Trafford, become the world's most expensive player, eclipsing the GBP56million Real paid of Brazilian midfielder Kaka earlier this summer.
To view the live and exclusive online stream, visit www.bwin.com at 7:30pm (GMT) on Monday 6th July.
bwin.com is the official sponsor of Real Madrid, AC Milan and FC Bayern Munich.
This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com .

UPDATE: WATCH IT LIVE HERE:http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite?pagename=RealMadrid/Page/iframePromociones&cid=1202774982994&site=RealMadrid&language=en

Chelsea and Manchester United snub: Franck Ribery admits he wants to sign for Real Madrid

Franck Ribery has admitted he wants to leave Bayern Munich - but warned Chelsea and Manchester United that he only has eyes for Real Madrid.

Chelsea are determined to make a final push for the France forward, despite his German employers insisting he is not for sale.

And United could reignite their interest after missing out on fellow France forward Karim Benzema, who yesterday agreed to join Real Madrid from Lyon for a fee that could reach £35million.
And now 26-year-old Ribery has tried to force a move to the Bernabeu by going public on his desire to join the New Galacticos.
'It's decided, I want to leave,' he told respected French newspaper L'Equipe. 'It will be to Real or nothing.'

Ribery also said that he would, 'wait and see how things go. Then I would quickly like to have a discussion with the Bayern management'.
Reports in Spain, meanwhile, say Madrid's next target is Valencia attacking midfielder David Silva, who could join for £21.5million.

Madrid newspaper Marca claims an agreement to sign Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa from Liverpool is imminent and that 23-year-old Silva - also a target for Liverpool - is next.
Silva's capture would take Madrid's summer outlay above the £200m mark - twice the amount it would cost to buy Newcastle United - even before fees for Alonso and Arbeloa are taken into account.

Bayern have suggested the fee for Ribery could be £60m, but his desire to leave could drive down the price.

The former Marseille player will turn down any offer to extend his current contract which is worth £115,000 a week and runs until 2011, meaning next summer his value would depreciate significantly.

But both Bayern and Ribery are aware there are few superstars left for United to recruit - Valencia's David Villa is set to join Barcelona - and an offer of around £50m plus £150,000 a week is likely to secure his signature.

It would also represent good business for Bayern who signed Ribery for a club record £18m from Marseille two years ago.
However, Bayern are still insisting publicly that there will be no deal. Bayern general manager said: 'Franck wants to go to Real? For us, it changes absolutely nothing. Life is not always a fairy-tale.

'Real did not gave us a concrete proposal. Real's directors have wanted to come to Munich and we have told them they would do better to save on a few tickets. We do not need their money and we keep Franck against all odds.'

The Bundesliga club's new boss Louis van Gaal said: 'I want to lead the world's best players and Ribery is part of that.'

Real Madrid Get Benzema

Karim Benzema is poised to become the latest big-name arrival at Real Madrid after Lyon accepted a bid from the Spanish side for the highly-rated France international.

Benzema: Not staying at Lyon after all...

The 21-year-old is set to join Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo in signing a six-year contract at the Bernabeu after his French employers agreed to a 35m euro (£29.7m) approach from Madrid, who with this deal will see their summer spending spree pass the 200m euro mark.

The fee could yet rise to 41m euros (£34.8m) dependent on performance clauses.

A statement posted on Madrid's official website this evening confirmed the deal, saying: ''Real Madrid C.F. and Olympique Lyonnais have reached an agreement for the transfer of Karim Benzema, contingent upon the player's medical examination and the signing of his contracts.

''The 21-year-old striker will sign a six-year contract with Real Madrid.''

Benzema will become Florentino Perez's fourth signing since returning to the Madrid presidency a month ago, following the arrivals of Kaka, Ronaldo and Raul Albiol.

Madrid and Manchester United had been vying for the services of Benzema but a deal appeared unlikely with Lyon continuing to insist before today that the player would remain at the Stade Gerland for at least one more season.

However, Les Gones announced the deal on their official website on Wednesday afternoon.

The statement on olweb.fr read: ''A few days ago Karim Benzema informed the club president Jean Michel Aulas of his desire to move to the Madrid club, which had always been his favourite club after Lyon, earlier than he had foreseen.

''The player wanted to seize the opportunity which Real Madrid offered him to be one of the major elements in their new ambitious project based around the greatest players of the world.

''Lyon accepted Karim Benzema's decision and negotiated the conditions of a transfer which satisfies all the different parties. The club wishes Karim the greatest success with Real Madrid.''

The France forward came through the ranks at Lyon and burst onto the scene in the 2007-08 season with 31 goals in 51 games, a streak that saw him named Ligue 1 player of the year as well as top the league's scoring charts.

The last campaign was less impressive for both club and player, as Lyon ended the season without the Ligue 1 title for the first time in eight years, but Benzema nevertheless scored 23 goals in all competitions - an average of a goal every other game.