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Cannavaro set for Real move

July 18, 2006 16:20 IST

Italy's World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro is set to complete a move to Real Madrid from Juventus, according to Spanish media reports. The Italian club, which was relegated to the second division Serie B and start next season with a penalty of 30 points following the match-fixing verdict, is tipped to sell-off their star players to balance their finances.

Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon is expected to favour a move to AC Milan rather than Arsenal.

"His first priority is to continue play in Italy. He likes London as a possible destination but his desire is to continue in Serie A," Buffon's agent Silvano Martina told English daily The Guardian.

The 32-year old Cannavaro will be the star of a multi-million swoop between the two clubs.

Real's sporting director Pedrag Mijatovic is expected to offer 45 million euros to lure Cannavaro along with team-mates Gianluca Zambrotta and Brazil's Emerson to the Spanish capital.

Meanwhile, Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy is all set to join the Galacticos.

Nistelrooy's agent Roger Linse told Spanish daily Marca, "We met with Manchester United to tell them Ruud thought that this stage of his career was over. We know that Madrid want him and the player is also keen to play there. Madrid is a dream for any footballer and also for Ruud."

Real are also set to offer AC Milan 50 million euros for their Brazilian playmaker Kaka. The Spanish team is already comprises superstars like Raul, David Beckham, Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane.