Gary Jacob gives his verdict on the latest transfer gossip

Real Madrid confirmed last night that they have bought Kaká from AC Milan for a world-record fee of £56 million. The forward had a medical yesterday in Recife, Brazil, where he is training for his country’s World Cup qualifier against Paraguay tomorrow, before signing a six-year deal with the Spanish club with an annual salary thought to be worth £9 million.

While Real were announcing the arrival of Kaká, another player was moving closer to the exit at the Bernabéu. Tottenham Hotspur are edging closer to reaching an agreement with Real Madrid to sign Ruud van Nistelrooy, the Holland forward who is surplus to requirements.

Van Nistelrooy proved to be a deadly striker during his spell at Manchester United, but has been hindered by injuries in recent seasons. He is recovering from a knee operation and may not be fit before September, having missed most of last season.

At 32, he would be a short-term solution and matching his £80,000-a-week wage at Real could be a problem. Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, has been keen to sign a physical striker since Sunderland rejected an approach for Kenwyne Jones in January. He has made Roman Pavlyuchenko and Darren Bent, two of his four forwards, available for transfer.

Decent bets

Manchester City are confident of signing Carlos Tévez and Samuel Eto’o as the club seek to conclude their transfers early in the window. Tévez, the Argentina striker, is expected to turn his back on Manchester United, with City hopeful of securing the £25.5 million deal within the next week.

They were also given further grounds for encouragement in their pursuit of Eto’o yesterday, with the Cameroon striker’s agent indicating that it would be difficult for Barcelona or the player to turn down a substantial deal, although that prospective transfer is likely to take longer to conclude.

Eto’o is understood to have been told that he will stand to receive at least as much as the £160,000 a week paid to Robinho, the highest paid player in the Barclays Premier League. City have indicated to Barcelona that they will pay up to £25 million for the striker, whose contract expires at the end of next season.

José María Mesalles, the representative of Eto’o, held talks with Txiki Begiristain, the Barcelona sporting director, yesterday and confirmed that a transfer remains an option. “We want to stay at Barça but if someone crazy was to pay his buy-out clause, the player would be the winner,” Mesalles said. “If you earn five and they offer you 15, the player is not crazy. We’re happy with the club and we have a good relationship but we’re not ruling anything out.”

City are also expected to test David Moyes’s resolve to keep Joleon Lescott at Everton by making a bid of about £15 million for the England defender. Blackburn Rovers are also bracing themselves for offers for Roque Santa Cruz after accepting privately that the Paraguay striker is likely to leave the club this month, with City thought to be leading the chase from a number of other Premier League clubs. The £18 million release clause in Santa Cruz’s contract lapses at the end of the month with City unwilling to pay that much.

Everton are expected to reward Steven Pienaar with a new contract after his performances this season. The South Africa midfield player, who has two years left on contract, has had interest from Atlético Madrid and Rubin Kazan, of Russia. “You never know in football what tomorrow will bring,” he said. “Who knows in one or two years’ time where I will be? I would welcome it if the club moved to secure my long-term future. It has always been my ambition to test myself in La Liga, which is an attraction, and to play in the Champions League again would be a real thrill.”

West Ham United want to permanently sign Radoslav Kovac after his loan spell last season, but they are unwilling to meet the £4 million option in the contract with Spartak Moscow.

Long shots

Blackburn and Aston Villa, who have dismissed a story that they have offered a two-year contract to Michael Owen, have been linked with Nikola Zigic, the Valencia forward. Seville have asked Tottenham Hotspur to reduce their valuation of Didier Zokora, the Ivory Coast midfield player.

Ezequiel Lavezzi’s representative has confirmed that Liverpool have made a formal offer for the forward and requested that Napoli make a quick decision on the transfer.

The 24-year-old has carved a reputation as clever attacking player, capable of playing across the front line. He has been capped twice by Argentina, but inconsistency has been his biggest problem. “We do not want to compel Naples to sell the player,” Eduardo Rossetto, the agent, said. “But I think it is appropriate that the club consider the offer and judge it sufficient or insufficient.”