Milan poised to make bid for Real's Makelele

AC Milan, keen to shore up their midfield, were reported Wednesday to be set to make an offer for Real Madrid's French international Claude Makelele.

Spanish sports daily Marca said Milan's general manager Adriano Galliani had already sounded out Real over a transfer.

The defensive midfielder is in pay talks with Real and recently turned down an offer of 1.5 million euros per year.

The 29-year-old, born in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital of Kinshasa, joined Real two years ago from Spanish league rivals Celta Vigo.

Real, who won the European Cup a record ninth time last year, face an early exit from the Champions League this year.

They are bottom of the group AC Milan leads and face a tough task qualifying for the quarter-finals.