Real Madrid line up Wenger and Lippi to replace Del Bosque

EUROPEAN champions Real Madrid have approached Arsenal's Arsene Wenger and Juventus’ Marcello Lippi in the event they fail to reach a deal with Vicente Del Bosque.

Del Bosque’s contract expires in a month but his agent Pedro de Felipe said yesterday he was sure the two parties would reach an agreement.

“I'm sure Real won't go abroad for another coach,” de Felipe said.

Del Bosque has only been offered the same terms as his current deal, despite twice landing the Champions League and La Liga once since taking over from John Toshack three years ago.

When he rejected the offer, Real Madrid's sporting director Jorge Valdano warned that the club might look abroad for a new coach.

Real have some of the most famous names in world football in their ranks including Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo, Raul, Ronaldo and Zinedine Zindane

But the critics, including those on the Real board, have questioned their manager for his side's defensive frailties.

However, Del Bosque, who has been at the club for 30 years, has spent each summer for the last three years asking for a centre-back, only for president Florentin Perez to buy midfielders Figo and Zidane and, most recently, Brazilian striker Ronaldo.

Targets this summer include Valencia's highly-rated midfielder Ruben Baraja, who is also considering a big-money offer from Manchester United. Old Trafford manager Alex Ferguson is thought to have expressed an interest in bringing the 27-year-old Spanish international to the Premiership champions.

Baraja only recently signed an extension to his current contract, which ties him to Valencia until 2008.

However, United are one of the few clubs in Europe with enough cash available to force Valencia into a deal, although Ferguson would be reluctant to match the estimated £18million price-tag which has been placed on Baraja’s head.

A forceful player in the Roy Keane mould, Baraja’s arrival would offer Ferguson the alternative of dropping his inspirational skipper into a central defensive position, providing the cunning the United boss felt was missing from his side’s Champions League challenge this season.

Ferguson already knows he will be without Wes Brown at least until Christmas as the England defender struggles to recover from the second cruciate knee ligament injury of his career and has also lost Laurent Blanc and David May from his first-team squad.

A move for Baraja is possible, particularly if Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldinho opts for a move to Spain should he confirm expectations and quit Paris St Germain this summer.