Hamburg playmaker Rafael van der Vaart claims he
has completed his move to Real Madrid and will be presented at the
Bernabeu on Tuesday.
Although the transfer has yet to be formally announced,
the Holland midfielder stated on his personal website that a deal
had been agreed and that he would be presented as a Madrid player
on Tuesday afternoon.
Van der Vaart, whose mother is Spanish, said: "Last night
everything came together and I am now moving to Real Madrid.
"As everybody knows I have always wanted to move to Spain
because I have a strong bond with that country. Now I'm going to
play for Real Madrid...it's a dream come true.
"Tomorrow afternoon I will be presented at Real Madrid. This
will be the start of a new chapter in my life. I will do everything
to help the team and the club to win trophies."
Van der Vaart has been linked with the Spanish champions for the
past couple of months but the clubs had failed to reach agreement
on a fee, with Hamburg rejecting bids of six and nine million euros
for the 25-year-old.
Madrid's need to reinforce their midfield intensified on Sunday
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 13 million
euros for Van der Vaart, whose contract includes a clause which
allows him to leave for just 1.5 million euros in 12 months'
time.
