Perez: Madrid can bag big players

Florentino Perez is confident of being able to tempt the majority of his transfer targets to Real Madrid if he is elected president.

Florentino Perez is confident of being able to tempt the majority of his transfer targets to Real Madrid if he is elected president, and promised fans of "a great team and a great coach".

Perez is the overwhelming favourite to return to the post he held from 2000-06 and could be installed as president as early as Monday without the need for elections if no other candidates step forward before the May 31 deadline.

There had originally been three other candidates who had announced they would be mounting bids, but Eugenio Martinez Bravo, Juan Onieva and Eduardo Garcia have all pulled out of the running in the last fortnight, with the 57.4million euro bank guarantee seeming to be the big stumbling block.

The latest of those trio to withdraw was Garcia yesterday, and that has paved the way for Perez to be elected unopposed on June 1 unless another valid candidate presents themselves in the next couple of day.

Despite seemingly having a free run to the presidency, Perez has still continued his election campaign as originally planned.

And although he has yet to name any names with regards his playing and coaching targets, the architect of Madrid's famous 'galacticos' policy insists the world's leading stars will be eager to join the club.

In recent years the likes of David Villa, Santi Cazorla and other players have all rebuffed Madrid's advances, but Perez believes it could be a different story this summer if he returns to power.

"I'm sure that now the majority of the players are going to want to come to Madrid, to a new project...," Perez said.

Madrid have been linked with a host of players over the last few months since it emerged that Perez, who in his previous stint in charge presided over the signings of players such as Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo and David Beckham, could be on his way back.

Two of the biggest names are Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, players that Madrid have long been courting, and Perez was quizzed about both.

With regards AC Milan playmaker Kaka, Perez said in Marca: "Until the competitions finish we are not going to talk with the clubs, but I've always spoken of my great relationship with (Milan vice-president Adriano) Galliani and this relationship maybe makes it easier that Kaka comes to Madrid.

"I've talked with Galliani many times about football and also about Kaka, but this is a theme that we have to postpone until after Sunday."

Perez was also asked about Manchester United winger Ronaldo, with the presidential hopeful saying: "He's also a player that would be very good if he came to Real Madrid. What I know is what I've read, that there is an agreement by means of which he would come for £80million..."

Asked if he would pay that amount, Perez added: "Next week we will look at the numbers and nobody should doubt that we are going to design with our sporting advisors a spectacular project."

Aside from those two players, media reports suggest Madrid are also looking at the likes of Franck Ribery, David Villa, David Silva, Xabi Alonso and plenty of others.

With different players being linked virtually every other day, Perez admits there are unlikely to be any surprises when they do finally start bringing players in.

"It's impossible (for a surprise signing), in the last three months all the players in the world have been talked about. There aren't any more players to talk about. I'm grateful that everybody has placed with me some great hopes and I'm going to try and not disappoint them.

"But also I have to say that not everyone can come, among other things because they won't all fit. We also need to move some players out before some come in."

Madrid are also believed to be on the look-out for a new coach, with Juande Ramos' six-month contract expiring this summer.

As with the players, Madrid are also being linked with the creme de le creme of coaches, such as Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Manuel Pellegrini.

Perez was again reluctant to go into any detail about their targets, but said: "There is a short list of coaches, but no decision has been taken.

"We are going to have a great coach."

If Perez's becomes president he will inherit a club that has lost its mantle of top dogs in Spain to arch rivals Barcelona.

Madrid may have won back-to-back league titles prior to this season but they have looked streets behind Barca this term, with Pep Guardiola's all-conquering side having become the first Spanish team to win the treble of league, cup and European Cup.

Perez admits Madrid have plenty of ground to catch up on the Catalan giants.

"The great season Barcelona have had serves to encourage me. We are going to make a big effort to recover the lost time. We need to recover in a year the lost time, but we are going to do it," he said.

"We need to do a great job. We have many players and we have to have other players as well. I'm going to work with all my hopes to have a winning team from this very season."

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He did insist, however, that he has never been interested in bringing Inter Milan coach Mourinho to the Bernabeu.

"A lot has been written these days," Perez told Cadena Ser. "I'm not going to talk until I am president. And when I am, of the three who are being mentioned, we will choose the best.

"What I can say is that the three that we are considering are very homogeneous. And Mourinho has never been in our agenda. No-one has ever spoken to him."

Perez admitted that he is a big fan of Pellegrini, who is under contract at Valencia, adding that he will work hard to bring in the right people to help Madrid recover "lost time".

The presidential hopeful also revealed that he hopes to sign at least five big-name players to propel the Spanish giants back to the top.

"I would be delighted with Pellegrini and Kaka," he added. "But no-one has talked with Pellegrini.

"When I enter Madrid I will look at Ronaldo's supposed release-clause. It's very good but all release clauses are negotiable.

"I like him because he is one of the best in the world.

"We have to recover lost time. With respect to all the players, the change in team was not done in the right way.

"When Zidane retired, what should have been done was to bring in another star like Kaka and when Beckham left they should have signed Cristiano Ronaldo.

"So we will look at the numbers and will do everything possible so that this year we have a great team.

"I calculate that there will be around five or six signings counting the best in the world and the best of Spain.

"We can create a spectacular team to fight not only with Barca, but also with Manchester United, Chelsea and all the other greats."