Pellegrini to coach Real Madrid

Villarreal has reached an agreement that will allow coach Manuel Pellegrini to take over at Real Madrid, news reports said Monday.

Club manager Jose Manuel Llaneza told the national news agency Efe that contacts were made and "as is logical between two clubs that get on, an agreement was reached."

Pellegrini would replace Juande Ramos, who took over at Real Madrid midseason after Bernd Schuster was fired.

On Saturday, the Chilean said he had not had any contact with Real Madrid over a potential move to the club.

A spokeswoman for Villarreal said there had been contacts with Real Madrid but insisted there was no official confirmation of the deal.

Pellegrini has transformed Villarreal since arriving in 2004. The club finished fifth in La Liga this season, clinching a place in next season's Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup.

Madrid finished second to Barcelona and was eliminated in the first knockout stage of the Champions League for the fifth straight season.

Recent reports have said incoming Real Madrid president Florentino Perez plans to present Pellegrini on Tuesday and Milan's Kaka as the club's new star player Thursday.

Perez was due to be confirmed as club president later Monday. He is the only candidate for elections that had been scheduled to be held on June 14.

Poll:Should Juande Ramos stay for the next season?

Nistelrooy is back

Nistelrooy has begin to get better.He says he is so happy to return to Santiago Barnebau.After a long injury he will start training with ball soon.He denied the talks about leaving Real Madrid for an another team.

First of all, how do you feel?

Fine now. I’ve spent the last six months recovering and the worst is now behind me.

How was the day to day work? Did you put in many hours?

The first phase was the most difficult because I was still on crutches. I did eight hours of passive rehab on my knee each day and spent a lot of time getting massages from physiotherapists. Then I began working on my physique with a stationary bike, elliptical machine and water exercises. I’ve been increasing the load since February and working hard on cardio, increasing my stamina and building muscle mass. It was a hard process, but I can now say that I am ready to begin running.

When will we see you back on the pitch?

I will start jogging slowly next week and will increase the pace on a daily basis. The team’s preseason begins around the middle of July, and if everything goes as planned I hope to be back in action with the squad in August. I am so anxious to return.

Have you thought a lot about the night you were injured against Juventus? Nobody thought it was such a severe injury.

I wasn’t injured during that match. It happened during the first half of the match in Turin and I played through the pain. Then I played the match at the Bernabeu although everyone knew I wasn’t well. It was an important match. I wanted to play and the club wanted me to play.

Do you regret it?

No.

When they told you they had to operate on the same knee, did you think back to the injury sustained back in 2000?

We didn’t think the meniscus was affected and that I would return within six to eight weeks. Then they saw a more severe problem, the cartilage, and I knew it would take a lot more time. I had to lie down and have a glass of water because it was a tremendous shock. I spoke to the doctor to ask him how long I would be out. All that mattered was my knee; my life. I was told it would take about nine months, that my knee would be as good as new and that I could return to football. I knew I would have to work hard, but I immediately focused on recovering and returning as soon as possible.