Real Madrid plan to snatch Liverpool’s Luis Suarez

THE SPANISH economy may be more precarious than Arsene Wenger's throne, but that hasn't stopped Real Madrid planning an audacious swoop for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. According to Spanish rag El Mundo Deportivo, Real president Florentino Perez believes the club needs a marquee signing in the New Year to show the world - and in particular rivals Barcelona - that they still mean business.

Apparently Real coach Jose Mourinho had considered Brazilian teenager Neymar an option but he's now changed his mind and instead sees Suarez as the man to bring back the glory days to the Bernabeu.

The 24-year-old Uruguayan hotshot joined Liverpool from Ajax only in January so if Real are serious about luring him away from Anfield they'll have to do so with an offer in the region of the £50m that Chelsea gave Liverpool for Fernando Torres nine months ago.

Meanwhile Talksport reports that the battle to sign Sao Paulo midfielder Lucas is heating up, with Tottenham and Liverpool vying with Inter Milan for the services of the 19-year-old. Lucas has been making a name for himself in Brazil over the past 12 months and Talksport reckons that the Reds are in the driving seat to push through a deal.

Lucas is a team-mate of Liverpool's current Brazilian midfielder - who's rather confusingly called Lucas Leiva - and it's alleged he's been having a word in the shell-like of his compatriot. But Inter believe a £15m bid will be enough to prise the youngster from Sao Paulo when the transfer window opens in January.

And it appears Spurs might have a struggle to sign another Brazilian, namely Leandro Damiao of Internacional.

Spurs have been linked with the 22-year-old striker for a while but following his performance for Brazil in Monday night's 1-0 defeat of Ghana at Craven Cottage - in which Damiao scored the decisive goal - Barcelona have expressed an interest. Talksport claims that the Spanish giants will make a big money offer in the New Year, one that will be too much for Spurs to match.

Finally Manchester United and Dimitar Berbatov will sit down soon in an attempt to thrash out a new contract deal.

The 30-year-old Bulgarian frontman has yet to be given a run by Alex Ferguson this season and it's alleged by goal.com that he will run down his contract and leave on a free transfer when it expires next summer. That would cost United the chance of making a few quid on the sale of the man they bought for a club record £30.75m from Tottenham in 2008.

Goal.com claim that Berbatov is currently taking home £80,000 a week but what with the prospect of a double dip recession looming he feels that isn't enough. He's demanding a two-year contract extension and a salary increase to £120,000 a week. United don't think he's worth that apparently, particularly as Berbatov is down the pecking order of strikers behind Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and the emerging force of Danny Welbeck. ·