Real Madrid president to break bank for Liverpool's Gerrard

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is ready to break the bank to land Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

The Sunday Mirror says Perez has told friends he will pay whatever it takes to win the signature of the most prized midfielder in Europe.

And after rejecting Chelsea last summer and accepting it would be impossible for him to play for Liverpool's hated rivals Manchester United, the likelihood is that Gerrard will move abroad if he feels his future lies away from the club he supported as a boy.

Gerrard shares the same agents as Michael Owen, Jonathan Woodgate and David Beckham and that would smooth any negotiations with Perez and his directors.

The England ace's £55,000-a-week contract signed just 12 months ago has a clause that allows him to leave if he feels the club is not progressing.