Real close in on Lopo

Real claim to have reached a preliminary agreement with Espanyol for centre half Alberto Lopo, who could arrive at the Bernabeu in the summer.

The 21-year-old is considered one of the brightest prospects in Spanish football and has been high on Barcelona's shopping list during the past few months.

Not wanting to join Espanyol's arch-rivals, it is being suggested that Lopo would prefer to join Real and could make the switch to the Bernabeu in July with Barcelona's second club receiving striker David Aganzo, currently on loan at the Perequitos, in exchange.

Lopo is under contract at the Montjuic until 2004 but is going for a song as Espanyol's asking price is said to be just 1.5billion pesetas (£7million). The player himself insists he knows nothing about the interest from Real Madrid but said: "It's a huge honour when a big club wants to secure your services but right now, I'm focused on playing for Espanyol."

Real are scouring the markets for a centre-back with Fernando Hierro's playing days nearing an end and the future of Aitor Karanka still in the balance. The Madrilenos also have Milan's Fabrizio Coloccini in mind, the 19-year-old's loan spell at Alaves has been something of an eye-opener for Real as he has hit four goals already for the Vitorians this term.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are to improve the contracts of two B team stars who have recently been called upon to help out the injury-stricken first team.

Francisco Pavon and Raul Bravo could both see their contracts extended in the forthcoming weeks. Bravo, who has been deputising for left-back Roberto Carlos could add a further three years onto his existing deal while central defender Pavon has been showing great promise with the first team and he too is expected to amplify his contract.

Although it is unlikely that either player will receive a pay rise as such, they will be in line for bonuses for every match they play with the first team.