Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is set to lock horns with his old club Chelsea and Manchester United over securing the services of Germany World Cup star Sami Khedira .
According to the Spanish AS newspaper, Mourinho has targeted the 23-year-old Stuttgart man as an ideal central midfield partner for former Liverpool player Xabi Alonso.
Real Madrid are reportedly preparing a bid of €10-13 million to snap up the player.
And with Khedira out of contract next summer, Stuttgart could well choose to cash in on the youngster now, rather than risk losing him for nothing next year.
"It would be very painful if Sami left on a free," Stuttgart boss Christian Gross said. "If he has two more great World Cup games, all the big clubs will come for him.
"If he has two more great World Cup games, all the big clubs will come for him."
AS went on to say that Real Madrid were looking to offload Lassana Diarra to fund the signing of Khedira.
The Frenchmen has attracted interest from Juventus, who would apparently be willing to pay €12-15 million for the 23-year-old.
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, meanwhile, is keen on signing Khedira to strengthen his midfield after releasing Michael Ballack, Joe Cole and Deco.
And Manchester United are set to join Chelsea and Real Madrid in the race for the German's signature, with Alex Ferguson eager to freshen up his midfield in light of the aging Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.
Khedira has been as much of a factor in Germany's brilliant World Cup displays as any other of Joachim Loew's men. Former Germany captain Lothar Matthaus said last week that Ballack's absence in the tournament through injury had actually been a blessing in disguise, since it had given Khedira a chance to prove what he can do at international level.
And the youngster has grabbed the opportunity with both hands, adding energy, organization and technique to the German midfield.
He has performed Ballack's defensive duties with aplomb, giving his central midfield partner Bastian Schweinsteiger more freedom, while his neat control and eye for a pass have been a massive contribution to Germany's attacking play.