Owen set to complete Madrid move
LIVERPOOL, England -- Michael Owen will be officially unveiled as a Real Madrid player on Saturday after passing an exhaustive medical in Spain.
The 24-year-old, who is leaving Liverpool, spent almost four hours at the Zarzuela clinic in Madrid after flying in by private jet.
Owen is expected to sign a four-year contract on Saturday before returning to England ahead of the national team's midweek friendly with Ukraine.
Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez had earlier revealed that the 24-year-old England striker was quitting the club he joined as an 11-year-old.
"I was very happy with Michael and I wanted him to stay," said the Spaniard.
"The problem was he only had a year left on his contract. Real Madrid started talking with his agent and in the end it was an impossible situation to control.
"We are losing a good player and a good person," he told reporters.
"But I think it's impossible to control the situation for us. When you talk to footballers now the agents control many situations. Now when a player has only one year left on his contract, like Michael, it is difficult to control what happens."
Benitez did not disclose the fee but Liverpool will receive Madrid midfielder Antonio Nunez as part of the deal.
Real are expected to pay around 12 million euros ($14.71 million) for the former European Footballer of the Year.
Nunez, who made 11 appearances last season and scored one goal, moves to Liverpool on a three-year deal.
Owen's negotiations over a new contract with Liverpool had dragged on and the club were faced with the prospect that he could leave for nothing if he completed his current deal.
Benitez is expected to use the funds raised by the sale of Owen to go towards the signing of midfielder Luis Garcia from Barcelona.
Owen's departure had appeared inevitable since Benitez abruptly called a halt to the protracted negotiations with the player at the start of the week.
The striker was then left on the bench in the club's 2-0 win over Austrian club Grazer AK in a Champions League qualifier, ensuring he would be able to play or Real later in the competition.
The announcement brings to an end months of uncertainty about the future of the striker, who has won 60 caps and scored 26 goals for England.
Change of heart
Owen had been expected to sign a new deal with Liverpool, but appears to have had a change of heart following a renewal of interest from Real.
"He seemed happy but the only thing that changed was that Real Madrid talked to him. That changed all the ideas in his head perhaps. I hope for Michael, Liverpool and Real Madrid this is the best thing for everyone," said Benitez.
Owen has spoken in the past of his desire to play in Spain or Italy and one of his closest friends, former England striker Gary Lineker, believes the time was right for him to take up the challenge.
Lineker, who had a successful spell at Barcelona in the 1980s, said: "I think Michael has the qualities to succeed. He's been one of the top goalscorers in world football for a long time and playing up front in a side like Real Madrid you would fancy him to score a few goals given the creativity in that side.
"It's probably time for Michael to have a fresh challenge. He struggled a little bit last season with injuries and the team struggling and so if it goes ahead it could be a good move for him."
Owen would not be guaranteed a place in the Real first team but Lineker believes he would benefit from competing with the likes of Raul and Ronaldo.
"Raul was struggling all last season and was poor in Euro 2004 and Ronaldo has had his injuries as well," Lineker said.
"All the big teams now have large squads and if you're going to be a world-class player it's a challenge you would want to take."
