Van der Vaart set for Real switch

Hamburg have confirmed Rafael van der Vaart is close to joining Real Madrid.

The Holland midfielder has been linked with the Spanish champions for the past couple of months but the clubs have yet to reach agreement on a fee, with Hamburg rejecting bids of €6m and €9m for the 25-year-old.

Madrid’s need to reinforce their midfield intensified yesterday after Van der Vaart’s international team-mate Wesley Sneijder suffered a knee injury in the Emirates Cup defeat to Arsenal which reports suggest could keep him out for up to six months.

That has prompted Madrid to return with an offer of €13m for Van der Vaart, whose contract includes a clause which allows him to leave for just €1.5m in 12 months’ time.

“Nothing has yet been signed, but we expect things to move on during the course of today,” explained a Hamburg spokesman.

“Our chairman (Bernd Hoffmann) held talks with Real Madrid during the Emirates Cup.”

Van der Vaart was left out of the Hamburg team for the tournament, when Real Madrid were one of Hamburg’s opponents.

He did meet with his prospective new team-mates at the London event and is now due to link up with them on a permanent basis by signing a five-year contract in the Spanish capital tomorrow.