Real Madrid have reached an agreement to sign Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar from Ajax for an initial €20 million, rising to a potential €27 million.
The 25-year-old, who had been linked with a host of European top clubs, has agreed a four-and-a-half year deal and will move to the Bernabéu in January.
A statement from Real read: "Huntelaar is the new Real Madrid player. Real Madrid and Ajax Amsterdam have reached an agreement for the forward.
"As usual, the deal is dependent on the player passing a medical and the signing of his contract with Real Madrid.
"Klaas Jan Huntelaar will be tied to Real Madrid until June 30, 2013."
The deal will earn Dutch club Heerenveen around €2.5 million as part of the agreement Ajax signed when they signed the player in 2005.
Huntelaar would be the sixth Dutch player in Real's lineup and was seen as a replacement for compatriot Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery last month.
"I'm happy for Klaas-Jan, let me say that first," Ajax coach Marco van Basten said. "From a sporting point of view, we would have prefered to keep him until the end of the season. But it's logical that if a team like Real Madrid makes an approach that it is very difficult to keep him here."
Huntelaar is currently sidelined by an ankle ligament injury, although he was expected to return to action by January.
But when fit he will be eligible to be added to Bernd Schuster's squad for the Champions League, as he has only competed with Ajax this season in the UEFA Cup.
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The 25-year-old, who had been linked with a host of European top clubs, has agreed a four-and-a-half year deal and will move to the Bernabéu in January.
A statement from Real read: "Huntelaar is the new Real Madrid player. Real Madrid and Ajax Amsterdam have reached an agreement for the forward.
"As usual, the deal is dependent on the player passing a medical and the signing of his contract with Real Madrid.
"Klaas Jan Huntelaar will be tied to Real Madrid until June 30, 2013."
The deal will earn Dutch club Heerenveen around €2.5 million as part of the agreement Ajax signed when they signed the player in 2005.
Huntelaar would be the sixth Dutch player in Real's lineup and was seen as a replacement for compatriot Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery last month.
"I'm happy for Klaas-Jan, let me say that first," Ajax coach Marco van Basten said. "From a sporting point of view, we would have prefered to keep him until the end of the season. But it's logical that if a team like Real Madrid makes an approach that it is very difficult to keep him here."
Huntelaar is currently sidelined by an ankle ligament injury, although he was expected to return to action by January.
But when fit he will be eligible to be added to Bernd Schuster's squad for the Champions League, as he has only competed with Ajax this season in the UEFA Cup.
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