Madrid Press: Kroos done, now for Rodriguez

The headlines in the Madrid press this morning are all to do with transfer activity at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The main story is still the arrival of Toni Kroos, and the papers are running out of angles to cover now and bring fresh material to the story. It’s been well publicised the German World Cup winner will be making the switch from Bayern Munich to Los Blancos and will sign a five-year deal.

Marca and AS expect there to be confirmation today. AS says Kroos will interrupt his holiday in Mallorca to undergo his medical assessment, sign the contract, and be presented to the fans at 5pm local time.

Once that deal is done, attention will switch elsewhere, with James Rodriguez the next likely arrival. According to the latest reports, Real Madrid and Monaco have intensified their talks over how to structure any deal. It is thought the player has already agreed a deal in principle and would earn in the region of 7,5 million euros a year. AS runs an article saying the Colombian’s transfer value has risen 44% because of his World Cup exploits – he finished as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals.

Finally, in some amusing news, betting companies have made Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale the favourites to be bitten first in Spain by Luis Suarez. Punters will have to wait a while as the Uruguayan in suspended until the end of October so has to wait a while to make his Barcelona debut.