Zapata heading for Spain

Cristian Zapata has shunned Liverpool's interest and agreed a deal with Villarreal. Liverpool made a move for the Udinese central defender last month, but Villarreal were always at the head of the queue which also included Bayern Munich. And now, after talks with his agent, Villarreal have come to agreement with the Colombian. The 24-year-old has agreed a five-year deal and will officially put pen to paper after the Copa America. "They were the first club to show an interest in him," his agent Jerome Barbadillo said when asked why he opted for Villarreal. "He is very happy, but is now focused on the Copa America - but he is aware of everything." The deal is understood to be worth €7milllion and they are also reported to have offered them one of Jozy Altidore or Marco Ruben.

Coentrao's dream comes true

Real Madrid's new £27million man, Fabio Coentrao, has admitted that his dreams have come true after completing his move to the Bernabeu and he has set his sights on winning La Liga. The Portugal left-back's departure from Benfica was confirmed on Tuesday afternoon following several months of speculation and reports of interest from Chelsea. Coentrao, who will battle with Marcelo for a first-team place, is delighted to have now joined Real on a six-year deal and is relishing the prospect of working with Jose Mourinho. "It is every player's dream to play for Real Madrid and something I used to dream about as a kid," Coentrao told Real's official website. "I hope to continue my progress and show the fans what I can do. "The Spanish league is very competitive and there are lots of good teams. I am determined to try and win it with Real Madrid." Fabio Coentrao Quotes of the week "I can't wait to work with Jose Mourinho as he is the best coach in the word and it is a real honour to work with him." Competition Mourinho wants to improve his defence after finishing second best to Barcelona in the league and also suffering UEFA Champions League elimination at the hands of their bitter rivals. But Coentrao is not expecting to stroll into the Real first team and anticipates that the club will benefit from the competition for places between himself and Marcelo. "I am going to work hard to play and Marcelo will do the same," he said. "We will compete for the same position every week and that will benefit the team, which is the most important thing. "The Spanish league is very competitive and there are lots of good teams. I am determined to try and win it with Real Madrid."

Roma agree Bojan terms

Roma have confirmed that they have agreed terms with Bojan ahead of his proposed move from Barcelona. Reports in the British media claimed that Tottenham were ready to make a move for the young Spaniard. But with Barca legend Luis Enrique now in charge at Roma, a move to the Eternal City was always on the cards for Bojan. And now their sporting director Walter Sabatini has confirmed that the deal is almost in place. "The agreement with the player is done," he told La Graderia. "We have to fix some things with Barcelona, I am very optimistic." Jose Angel Roma are also lining up a move for Sporting Gijon's highly-rated Spanish Under-21 defender Jose Angel, but Sabatini refused to go into detail on their bid for the 21-year-old left back. "The player of Sporting and I can not speak of a player from another team. It is not right." However, Sporting president Manuel Vega Arango has told Roma that they will not get him on the cheap as they are believed to be holding out for €15million. "Jose Angel will go when Roma accept our conditions," Sporting president Manuel Vega Arango said in Sport. "We are waiting for a reply. "If he stays at the club we will be very happy. Sporting don't need to accept what people offer like we did in the past with the likes of David Villa. "The situation is much better now and footballers have a price. If clubs pay the amount they leave, if not, they will stay." La Liga champions Barcelona were interested in Angel but Roma are now the frontrunners for his signature.

Xavi would welcome Cesc move

Xavi insists he would welcome the competition Cesc Fabregas would bring if he makes a move to Camp Nou this summer. Barca failed with two bids for the Arsenal captain last year and have reportedly had an initial offer turned down this summer too. The Catalan giants are likely to return with a new bid for their former youth team midfielder, 24, despite already having the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets. Xavi believes adding a player such as Fabregas to their midfield ranks can only be a positive thing, though. "Competition is always good and Cesc is an extraordinary footballer," he said. "If he comes, it will be to help out." However, Xavi hopes Fabregas does not face the same comparisons he faced himself when he broke through in the late 1990s. Long-term successor? "They put that label on me of being a replacement for Pep Guardiola and it wasn't fun at all," said the 31-year-old. Barca have also kept faith in their home-grown players, though, with 20 year-old midfielder Thiago Alcantara signing a new contract until 2015. "Thiago has renewed and that's great news," said Xavi. "He is a fantastic player with a lot of talent - the competitiveness of the group is great." And although Xavi began last season with a niggling injury after helping Spain win the World Cup, he insists he is feeling fresh ahead of the new campaign. "I feel good physically, I'm very motivated and content," he said. "Last year I suffered some tendonitis in the Achilles tendon but I'm over that. "I'll try to start off as best I can and at the highest level."

Real kid joins Getafe

Real Madrid have confirmed that Pablo Sarabia has crossed town to join Getafe. The 19-year-old attacking midfielder has signed a five-year contract with Getafe for a reported fee of 3million euros. However, Real have confirmed the deal includes a buy-back option for the Spanish Under-19 international. Sarabia made his first-team debut against Auxerre in the UEFA Champions League in December but has found his progress blocked at the Bernabeu. But Sarabia has gone on to impress in Real's reserves and in March Arsenal were reported to be interested in securing his services. Getafe will be eager to improve on coming 16th in last season's La Liga, when the Madrid-based outfit finished just a point above the drop zone.

Higuain hoping to stay

Gonzalo Higuain has shrugged off speculation regarding his future by committing himself to Real Madrid. The Argentine striker has been a success story in Spain since moving to Santiago Bernabeu from River Plate in January 2007. He has made over 150 appearances for Real, scoring 77 goals, but that record has not been enough to stop rumours spreading that he could soon be on his way to pastures new. Real are understood to be chasing a number of attacking targets this summer, casting doubt over the future of those already at the club. Higuain is confident he remains part of Jose Mourinho's plans, though, and hopes he can play a leading role in their pursuit of major honours. Competition "My wish is to stay with Real Madrid," he told AS. "I feel very loved by the fans and I want to win many more trophies with this club. There's nothing better than playing at one of the world's biggest clubs. "I am very happy at Real Madrid. "It is clear that you have to work very hard to become and remain a first-team regular at a big club like this. There's always a lot of competition for places. "I am pleased to have the chance to play with the big stars here and want to continue winning things."

Udinese - No Sanchez deal

Udinese say that no club has yet agreed a deal with them to sign Chilean ace Alexis Sanchez. European champions Barcelona have been heavily linked, although their bid falls short of the Serie A club's €50million (£45.3m) valuation. Sanchez has ruled out a move to big-spending Manchester City, saying he would rather stay at Udinese than make the switch to Eastlands. Serie A rivals Inter Milan are also interested in the talented 22-year-old, although no one has come up with a deal to tempt Udinese. The club have no qualms with settling on a transfer fee for Sanchez, stating they would love to have the youngster among their ranks next season. "There are no definite agreements regarding Sanchez," sporting director Fabrizio Larini told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We have no need to sell the forward, who is improving and can still do better. "If no agreement is reached, we would be happy (to keep him)." Enquiry Larini revealed Inter had enquired about the player earlier this year, but questioned whether they would now be able to afford him. "Inter asked us about the player back in January," added Larini. "But we did not even begin any type of negotiation because we wanted to keep him at least until June. "At that time his value was different to what it is now and it has now become difficult for the Nerazzurri to compete. "They have proposed an exchange of players to be part of the deal, but there are other clubs that are ahead of them right now."