Real set for Veron swoop?

Real Madrid have reportedly put in a bid for Lazio's Juan Sebastian Veron, who is currently being investigated over his naturalization documents.

The preliminary hearing for the case of Veron's allegedly fake naturalization papers will take place this afternoon in Rome.

The future of the Argentine champion who, together with his agents and Lazio's management, is accused of having provided fake documents stating his Italian origins in order to obtain citizenship, will probably depend on the outcome of this investigation.

Lazio's president Sergio Cragnotti has revealed today that if Veron is banned or punished, his team could be forced to sell him, saying: "If things keep on going from bad to worse we will be forced to surrender him."

In the meantime, Marco Petrelli, the lawyer of the Argentine skipper, has revealed that Lazio have received a huge bid from Spanish club Real Madrid. According to Petrelli, the amount of money offered by the European champions is more than twice the sum that Lazio paid Parma three years ago to sign the player.