Real and Santos reach deal over Robinho

Real Madrid and Santos have reached an agreement to end the long-running transfer saga over Robinho with the Brazilian striker poised to sign a five-year deal with the Spanish club.

In a statement on their website, Real said the 21-year-old international would join the club on August 25 after playing a farewell match with Santos.

"We are delighted," Real Madrid vice-president Emilio Butragueno said on his arrival at Barajas airport after the team's tour of the United States and Asia.

"He is a very important signing for us. We need great players and he's one of them."

Robinho is the second Brazilian forward to join Real in two days, following the 20 million-euro signing of Julio Baptista from Sevilla.

"They are two great young players and they will form a very good base for the team," added Butragueno.

"We have reached an agreement with Santos over Robinho but he won't join up with us until August 25 because the club has requested that he play another game or two as a way of saying goodbye to their fans."

Butragueno did not disclose the cost of the Robinho signing, but last week Santos refused to accept the $30 million Real offered to buy the striker out of his contract.

Real have been chasing the Brazilian international since last year but had met with stiff resistance from Santos, who wanted to hold on to a youngster who had played an instrumental role in their recent success.

Santos president Marcelo Teixeira accused the Spanish giants of approaching the player without his club's permission and appeared to be determined to resist Real's pressure.

The Brazilian Football Confedera-tion added weight to his argument that Real had to pay the full $50 million penalty clause stipulated in Robinho's contract when refusing to hand over the player's International Transfer Certificate to their Spanish counterparts.

However, Teixeira appears to have finally relented with his decision paving the way for Robinho to realise a lifelong dream of playing in Europe.

Robinho's arrival will cast doubts on the future of England striker Michael Owen, whose place in the Real starting line-up is in serious jeopardy.

Real also have Ronaldo and Raul on their books, meaning there will be five forwards battling for places up front.