Rafael van der Vaart is set to join Real Madrid next week in a move that could see the Spaniards abandon their bid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo. The Dutchman was left out of his side Hamburg's Emirates Cup clash with Real as the two sides look to strike a deal. His absence seemed to suggest an agreement was close as Martin Jol, the coach of the German side, said: "Both clubs are trying to get a deal. We have an arrangement with Rafael that he can go for a certain amount of money." Real have been chasing an attacking midfielder to strengthen their side and van der Vaart fits the bill as the move for Ronaldo has stalled with Manchester United's refusal to sell. The signing could also mean Robinho is given the green light to join Chelsea. The Brazilian came off the bench to help Real to a 2-1 win. It came courtesy of a diving header from Daniel Parejo. The teenager, who is set for a loan at QPR, struck to settle the opening game of the Emirates Stadium tournament, which also involves Juventus and Arsenal. Ruud van Nistelrooy tapped in from close range for the first goal, but it was a Zidan, the Egyptian Mohammed, who struck a fine equaliser, curling home, after coming off the bench. In today's fixtures, Hamburg take on Juventus at 5pm as the hosts Arsenal will play Real Madrid at 7.15pm.
