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Real Madrid have signalled their intent to let Chelsea and Arsenal target Sami Khedira leave the Bernabeu next year by making a £9.5m offer for Cruzeiro defensive midfielder Lucas Silva.
Madrid have identified the 21-year-old as the perfect replacement for Khedira after he refused to to sign an extension to his contract, which expires at the end of the season.
Cruzeiro want £11.8m for their prize asset, who is strongly tipped to be called up to the senior Brazil squad soon.
The current European champions are confident they will come to an agreement with Cruzeiro sooner or later, paving the way for Khedira to depart.
Chelsea are planning to offer Khedira a pre-contract in January to join them on a free transfer in the summer, while Arsenal have maintained their interest despite seeing a move in the last window collapse over his wage demands.
Both London clubs face fierce competition from Bayern Munich. It has been reported that he has already signed a contract to join the Bundesliga champions, although the German outfit have denied the claims.
