Real quartet set to renew

Four Real Madrid players will renew their contracts with The Merengues in the forthcoming weeks.

First up will be midfielder Ivan Helguera, who together with his uncle and agent Juanjo Helguera will begin talks with the club on Wednesday.

Helguera is under contract at the Bernabeu until 2004 but Real are keen to extend the player's stay for an extra two seasons at least.

Goalkeeper Iker Casillas is keen to stay on at Real but is not entirely happy with the club's new performance-related pay scheme. The 19-year-old 'keeper, who is one of the squad's lowest earners, feels that he deserves a modest pay rise but his demands are not shared by the club's board of directors.

Also in line for contract rennovations are Fernando Morientes and Aitor Karanka. Real are confident that agreements will be reached with all four players before the squad jet out to Nyon, Switzerland to begin pre-season training on July 23rd.