Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is set to lock horns with his old
club Chelsea and Manchester United over securing
the services of Germany World Cup star Sami Khedira .
According to the Spanish AS newspaper, Mourinho has targeted the
23-year-old Stuttgart man as an ideal central midfield partner for
former Liverpool player Xabi Alonso.
Real Madrid are reportedly preparing a bid of €10-13 million to
snap up the player.
And with Khedira out of contract next summer, Stuttgart could
well choose to cash in on the youngster now, rather than risk
losing him for nothing next year.
"It would be very painful if Sami left on a free," Stuttgart
boss Christian Gross said. "If he has two more great World Cup
games, all the big clubs will come for him.
"If he has two more great World Cup games, all the big clubs
will come for him."
AS went on to say that Real Madrid were looking to
offload Lassana Diarra to fund the signing of Khedira.
The Frenchmen has attracted interest from Juventus, who would
apparently be willing to pay €12-15 million for the
23-year-old.
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, meanwhile, is keen on
signing Khedira to strengthen his midfield after releasing Michael
Ballack, Joe Cole and Deco.
And Manchester United are set to
join Chelsea and Real Madrid in the race for the
German's signature, with Alex Ferguson eager to freshen up his
midfield in light of the aging Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.
Khedira has been as much of a factor in Germany's brilliant
World Cup displays as any other of Joachim Loew's men. Former
Germany captain Lothar Matthaus said last week that Ballack's
absence in the tournament through injury had actually been a
blessing in disguise, since it had given Khedira a chance to prove
what he can do at international level.
And the youngster has grabbed the opportunity with both hands,
adding energy, organization and technique to the German
midfield.
He has performed Ballack's defensive duties with aplomb, giving
his central midfield partner Bastian Schweinsteiger more freedom,
while his neat control and eye for a pass have been a massive
contribution to Germany's attacking play.