Italy or England beckons for coveted Contra

In-demand Alaves defender Cosmin Contra has announced that he will reveal where he is to play next season within a fortnight. "My next destination will be worked out inside two weeks and it will be either Italy or England," he said.

"My agent has offers from England and Italy and when I return from Romania, I will know where I am going," said the Romania international who will play in his side's crucial World Cup qualifiers at the beginning of June against Hungary and Lithuania.

The 25-year-old full-back, who has has a £7 million buy-out clause, has been linked with Italian giants Internazionale, Spanish powerhouses Real Madrid and Valencia, plus English clubs Leeds and Spurs.

But he has already ruled out the possibility of signing for Real, his option of choice.

"It may have been reported that Real are interested but the reality seems different," he explained. "I'd like to sign for them but it seems they don't like me enough."

Last week Contra appeared to snub Inter after hearing reports of their interest. "Inter have a lot of money but nothing else," he said.

The player increased his value with an outstanding performance in Alaves' 5-4 Uefa Cup loss to Liverpool last week.