Real Madrid have confirmed that interim president Vicente Boluda will remain at the helm until the end of the season, following the resignation of Ramon Calderon at the end of last year.

Board members met this afternoon and ratified the appointment of Boluda until June by a vote of 943 to 248, according to reports from the club's official website.

Upon the confirmation of his role, Boluda said that the election is likely to take place on June 14, or perhaps the week before, and he stated that this would not affect the on-field activities of the team.

"This electoral process should not interfere with the progress of our soccer and basketball teams, who are in the thick of their championships, and will allow the new president to be in charge in plenty of time to prepare for the new season."

The lack of stability since Calderon's departure in December, amid a voting scandal, has led to doubts being raised over the renewal of the contracts of some high profile stars, including Gabriel Heinze and Fabio Cannavaro.

The clubs' transfer policy for the close season is also yet to be finalised, and a number of stars such as Christiano Ronaldo and Kaka have been linked with a move to Spain for next season. 

This is more likely to happen if Florentino Perez, as expected, wins the vote to return to the club.

Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro has made it clear that he wishes to sign a new contract at Madrid and has sought the club's presidential elections as the reason why this has not already been done.

The Italian World Cup winner is out of contract at the end of the season and a number of clubs had begun to show some interest in signing him.

The two clubs who were reportedly leading the race for his signature were AC Milan and Manchester City.

City boss Mark Hughes has recently said that he is looking to add some much needed experience to his defence, and feels the 35-year-old would fit this role perfectly.

However, despite the reported interest from the Premier League and Serie A, the former Juventus player has made his intentions to stay in Madrid clear.

His representative, Enrico Fedele, told Italy's Radio Kiss Kiss, "Cannavaro has been misquoted in the media.

"Some of the things attributed to him were said a while ago in older interviews. He has never talked about economic issues and he wants to stay at Real Madrid.

"The only reason we haven't been able to set up talks for a contract renewal is that the presidential elections are coming up."

The former Napoli star has been at Santiago Bernabeu for over two-and-a-half seasons, playing a tremendous 86 games in the Primera Division and currently fighting for what would be his third successive Liga title in Spain

Dutch midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart wants to make a summer switch from Real Madrid, after falling out of favour with coach Juande Ramos, and has stated that Chelsea are his number one choice of destination.

The 26-year-old international was signed by former coach Bernd Schuster and initially made a positive start to his career with Los Blancos.

However, since the appointment of Ramos, Van der Vaart has watched his first-team minutes shrink and, in order to play regular football, the former Ajax and Hamburg man is desperate to move on when the transfer window re-opens in July.

However, much will depend on whether fellow Dutchman Guus Hiddink remains in charge at Stamford Bridge, beyond the expiration of his short-term deal at the end of the season.

Reports from English newspaper The Times suggest that the player has said, "Fortunately for me, Chelsea want me, and this is clear to me.

"If [Guus] Hiddink remains at the helm of Chelsea, I hope my signing will be finalised soon. I want to leave Real Madrid."

Van der Vaart signed for the Spanish Primera Division champions for €13m in 2008 on a five-year deal to join the growing band of Dutchmen at Los Blancos, but has made just 22 appearances in that time, scoring 12 goals.

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has increased speculation that he may be considering leaving Arsenal and returning to Spain, after admitting that he was flattered to hear that Barcelona and Real Madrid would like to sign him.

Speculation linking the midfielder with a move to the Primera Division has always lingered, yet appears to have increased following his recent spat with Hull City in the FA Cup.

Reports have suggested that following the alleged incident at the Emirates, the Spaniard has become disillusioned with life in England and may be considering his future.

According to the News of the World, Fabregas’ latest comments have done little to contradict this and will alert both Real Madrid and Barcelona, who are thought to be willing to make a move for the 21-year-old.

“I would not close the door on anybody,” Fabregas was quoted as saying.

“Every player evaluates how things have gone and thinks about whether he is happy or whether he can improve his situation.

“I can't control what people say about me but it's a huge honour two of the biggest clubs in football are talking about me.”

Having spent his formative years at Barcelona, a move back to the Catalan club appears the more likely, yet Fabregas also hinted that he could be persuaded to remain in north London.

Responding to claims he had agreed to sign for Real in the future, he said, “I never gave my word I would join Real Madrid. If Arsene Wenger asks me to stay, I am sure I will.”

Fenerbahce full-back Roberto Carlos has laid the blame for Real Madrid's problems firmly at the feet of Ramon Calderon and Pedja Mijatovic.

The former president left the club last year, but before that was disgraced after the Assembly was reported to be rigged.

Mijatovic has remained as sporting director but it is widely expected that he will not stay on for long.

Carlos has told Marca that Mijatovic disappointed him during his time there and that Madrid are going through a tough time right now.

"Right now, I could be playing for Madrid...He [Mijatovic] wanted to destroy everything that Florentino [Perez] had done and everything else," he mused.

"Madrid are going through a difficult phase but I do not believe they are lesser than Manchester [United] or Barcelona. But Barcelona are playing spectacular football."

Certainly the Catalans have been very impressive in La Primera this season, with only Real Madrid hanging onto them at the top of the table.

Carlos admits that the new president has to turn things around and put his support Perez, saying "with him Madrid will be champions and will be one of the best in the world."

"The next president has a duty to fix all the bad things that people have done," he explained.

Milan are ready to offer Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro a quick escape route out of the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of term.

The Italian international has been having difficulty trying to secure his future in the Spanish capital as los Merengues have been reluctant to offer him a new deal. Despite the stopper hinting that he could leave, his agent was quick to jump in and claim the contrary. With speculation being rife, Sportmediaset.it claims Milan are keeping an eye on the situation.

Reports suggest the Rossoneri will be making some adjustments to the squad this summer, but the directors at the club are keen to keep big spending to a minimum.

Vice-president Adriano Galliani warned this week that spending on a major scale would not be the club's policy this summer. Paolo Maldini is set to retire while Giuseppe Favalli has not been offered a contract extension - his deal expires in June.

The club are working on a low-cost transfer campaign and Cannavaro could come in on a free transfer. The Rossoneri plan to strengthen at the back and they are likely to show their hand should the Napoli-born man call it a day in Spain.

Premier League pair Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring Fabio Cannavaro's situation at Real Madrid, according to a report in the British tabloid The Daily Mirror.

The Italian international defender is out of contract at the Bernabeu this summer and as yet has failed to reach a new agreement with los Blancos.

The World Cup winner's agent has recently denied claims that he is set to return to Serie A at the end of the season, insisting that a contract extension with los Merengues has only been put on hold due to the club's upcoming presidential elections.

However, it is alleged that the Citizens are ready to meet the 35-year-old's €4.3 million (£4m) per year wage demands in order to land him. Meanwhile, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is thought to have targeted Bosman signings to cut-back on transfer fees.
 

With Florentino Perez a candidate to regain presidency at Real Madrid, several high-profile names have been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu. One of those is Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti, but he denied reports of a meeting between him and the candidate.

"That isn't true, on Tuesday I was in Geneva," he said at an event organized by Milan sponsors Bwin, according to La Repubblica.

"My first course was cannelloni, but no one wrote about that," Ancelotti joked with the gathered crowd.

Ancelotti further clarified that 'it was not possible' that he would lead the Rossoneri to third place this season and subsequently leave the club.

"The cycle of Milan will be finished when Berlusconi no longer has the desire and enthusiasm to lead the club. With two successful acquisitions we can become competitive again," he assured.

Ancelotti has been criticized this season after a Serie A campaign that sees Milan 14 points off the pace set by city rivals Inter and a disappointing exit to Werder Bremen in the UEFA Cup.

Perez and Ancelotti dinner fake ?

Ramon Calderon has given the strongest indication yet that he will run for the Real Madrid presidency this summer, just months after he resigned from the post.

The former president declared yesterday that he was a "nobody" at the club anymore but now appears to be ready to make a comeback.

In interview with AS he claimed that he wants to return to Real Madrid to clear his name, which was dragged through the mud after the scandal at the Assembly last year.

"Yes, I have decided it and I want to finalise the details and make sure that nobody can just walk in as Real Madrid president. I have decided not to remain quiet and I need to clear my name by letting things out," he declared.

"I have gone through two-and-a-half horrible years of being wrongly accused, saying that I paid for things on the club credit card and never repaid it, doubting my honour and involving my children in matters that are not proven. It is all in court and justice will be done."

Calderon went on to claim that even though he was ousted from the club last year, he has heard from Jose Bernabeu, who is responsible for the supporter's club, that already he would be able to count on 18,000 votes.

The news will come as a massive shock to Real Madrid fans but even the former president admits that he will not win, he just wants to shake things up.

"I will tell the truth; I will not win the elections, I just want to make them complicated. I want Florentino Perez to debate with me in public, in front of television cameras, on my terms. I want the presidency to be won. I do not think that he will be able to debate with me on television," he explained.

Whilst neither Calderon nor Perez have made an official decision about running for president yet, the former revealed that they will decide soon.

"First we will see what happens in the Assembly on Sunday. When the elections are called we will observe the movements of possible candidates and then we will make our decisions," he concluded.

Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro's contract expires at the end of the season. The former Juventus player has been linked with a move back to Italy, but he could remain in Spain.

"Despite what's written in the British media, it must be pointed out that some of Cannavaro's quotes have been taken from older statements,” revealed his agent, Enrico Fedele, to Radio Kiss Kiss. “They are not his most recent declarations.

"He has never talked about economic issues. There are certain issues, but it's correct to say he wants to stay at Real Madrid."

Fedele went on to explain why the 35-year-old has been unable to renew his deal with the Primera Division giants. "We haven't move forward for a simple reason, namely the upcoming election of a new president," he said.

Cannavaro has played in 29 matches in all competitions for los Blancos this season.