EXCLUSIVE: Aston Villa beaten to £8m Sahin signing by Real Madrid



By John Edwards

Aston Villa have suffered another setback after losing out to Real Madrid in the race to sign Turkey midfielder Nuri Sahin.



Sportsmail revealed last week how Villa had been alerted to Sahin's likely availability, after he rejected terms for a new contract at Borussia Dortmund, and had enquired about the prospects of luring him to the Barclays Premier League.

But Real have beaten them to the punch after agreeing to meet the release clause in his current contract and receiving word from the 22-year old that he will head for the Bernabeu at the end of the season.

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Under the terms of his Dortmund agreement, Sahin could join another club in Germany for around £5million but would cost anyone from outside the Bundesliga just over £8m.



Villa still saw that as a bargain for a player rated one of Europe's up-and-coming talents and would have had no hesitation paying it to ward off interest from Liverpool and Chelsea.

But sources close to the newly-crowned Bundesliga champions confirmed to Sportsmail that Real have dashed Villa's hopes by reaching a verbal agreement to add Sahin to Jose Mourinho's squad during the summer.

It is another blow for Villa, who have been rocked by player unrest during a season of struggle and are now facing uncertainty over manager Gerard Houllier's future after his recent heart scare.





