Ruud van Nistelrooy has passed a medical at Real Madrid and is expected to complete his move from Manchester United on a three-year contract later today. He is due to be officially presented in the Bernabeu at 4pm Irish time.

Real said they had reached an agreement with United to sign the 30-year-old on Thursday, though United said the terms of the deal had yet to be finalised.  No fee was officially disclosed but Spanish media reported it to be worth around €15 million.

"It is fantastic to be here. It is a dream that has become a reality. When Real come looking for you, you don't have to think about it because you know they are number one," Van Nistelrooy told Real Madrid television.

He is Real's third signing under new president Ramon Calderon following on from Italy defender Fabio Cannavaro and Brazil midfielder Emerson, and will link up with former Manchester United team mate David Beckham.

"I miss Beckham. When he left Manchester I was sad to lose him as friend and as a player because we had a good understanding on the pitch," Van Nistelrooy added. "They were great times and I hope to be able to repeat them with Madrid."

Van Nistelrooy, who scored 20 goals or more in four of his five seasons at Old Trafford, put in a transfer request two weeks ago and Real beat Bayern Munich to secure his services for next season.

After having fallen out of favour with United manager Alex Ferguson, Van Nistelrooy now faces the challenge of competing with Raul, Robinho, Julio Baptista, Antonio Cassano and Ronaldo for a place in the Real attack.