Heinze To Join Real Madrid

Gabriel Heinze will join Spanish side Real Madrid on a four-year deal, the Spanish club have confirmed.

The 29-year-old, who on Tuesday was told by a Premier League arbitration panel that he could not join Liverpool as he had wished, will sign for an undisclosed fee.

The La Liga champions announced the news on their official website. A statement said: "Real Madrid and Manchester United have reached an agreement for the transfer of Gabriel Heinze.

"The Argentinian will sign a contract for the next four seasons and will be immediately incorporated into Bernd Schuster's squad."

The move draws the curtain on three years at Old Trafford for the all-action left-back, who United signed for £6.9million from Paris Saint Germain in June 2004.

Heinze made 83 appearances for the Reds scoring four goals, including a fabulous first season that saw him collect the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award. However, injuries hampered his second season with the Reds and last season he was under pressure for the left-back slot from Patrice Evra, now Sir Alex Ferguson's first choice.