The Gazzetta dello Sport claimed that the defender, one of the most impressive players at the World Cup, has already talked to Real's former Juve coach Fabio Capello to tell him of his wish to move.

The Spanish giants could also be interested in stripping Juventus of full-back Gianluca Zambrotta as well as Brazilian midfielder Emerson, said the report.

Juventus face losing a host of star names following their relegation from Serie A as punishment for their role in the match-fixing scandal which has rocked the country.

The Turin club were also stripped of their last two Italian league titles and penalised 30 points. Lazio and Fiorentina were also demoted to Serie B an docked seven and 12 points respectively.

AC Milan were also docked 15 points and banned from the Champions League although they were allowed to stay in the top flight.

All four clubs have decided to appeal.

Juve, who are desperate to have the 30-point deduction erased, insist that they will not be forced into selling their top players.

"We won't allow anyone to profit from the situation in which we find ourselves. We will negotiate only at the market price," said the club administrator Jean-Claude Blanc.

Meanwhile, the scandal could be set for a lenghty legal battle.

Prosecutor Stefano Palazzi could also launch an appeal claimimg that the sentences handed out were too lenient.

He had demanded Juventus be relegated into the third division and wanted the others all dumped into the second tier.

The appeals process could start on Friday with a decision having to be made by July 27, the deadline set by UEFA for teams to register for the Champions League.