Real present Marcelo as face of the future

Real Madrid officially presented their Brazilian defender Marcelo yesterday as an important signing for the club's future success.

The 18-year-old international, who has joined from Fluminense until 2012, is seen as a long-term replacement for compatriot Roberto Carlos at left-back.

"He is strong in defence and very quick in attack which is why sports director Predrag Mijatovic was keen to sign him for Real," said club president Ramon Calderon.

"He is the first part of our project for the future which will see us signing quality young players that will help to put us back on the road to success.

"It is the board's plan to try and combine young players with experienced ones and to build on their contrasting qualities."

Marcelo said he was unfazed by the prospect of possibly having to start his career with Real in the youth ranks.

Some reports have suggested that Marcelo may be asked to play with Real Madrid Castilla, who are in the Spanish second division, until June to help ease his adaptation to European football.

"I have come here to help Real Madrid. I have come here to work hard and will work wherever they ask me to," Marcelo said.

Real are also being linked with moves for Boca Juniors's 20-year-old midfielder Fernando Gago and River Plate's 18-year-old forward Gonzalo Higuain.

In a later interview with radio station Onda Madrid, Calderon said personal terms had been agreed with the two players.

"Both players have reached agreements with us. The question is whether they will come in January or June.

"We hope it will be January and so do they," Calderon said.

"With all the new signings we will have a very competitive team. Next year out of a squad of 22 we will have 14 players under 25."

...set to sign lucrative new television deal

Real Madrid are set to sign a new deal for the rights to televise their matches that will secure the financial stability of the club for the best part of a decade, the Primera Liga side have said.

"The deal guarantees us 800 million euros over seven seasons and will be signed in the next few days," a club spokesman said.

Real have not disclosed the name of the company buying the rights or when the deal would come into effect.

On Tuesday evening, Real president Ramon Calderon told a conference: "We are the club who earns the most from its television rights and we are going to sign the most important contract in the history of world sport."

Real's television rights are currently owned by Sogecable, through Audiovisual Sport, who also hold the rights for most of the Primera Liga and second division clubs.

At the beginning of November, publicly-run regional television station Telemadrid said they were going to make a bid for Real Madrid's television rights, though they recognised the club were also negotiating with other bidders for the contract.

According to Spanish sports daily AS, from the beginning of the 2008/9 season Telemadrid have offered an average of 115 million euros per year, starting at 75 million euros in the first season and rising progressively to 125 million euros.