Betfair.net

No sooner had Spanish soccer giants, Real Madrid, completed the signing of their second major coup following the initiation of the Galacticos era mark two, than they were already chasing another major name. Karim Benzema had been linked with a move to the English Premier League but, almost inevitably given the pattern of summer transfers seen so far this year, the France international decided to leave Lyon in order to ply his trade alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at the Bernabeu.

The deal to take Benzema to Real Madrid is thought to be in the region of £30 million but this figure could yet rise depending upon the fulfilment of specific performance-related clauses. The 21-year-old has been highly rated in the soccer world since making his first-team debut for Lyon at the tender age of 17. The talented striker lit up Ligue 1 during 2007/2008 after scoring 31 goals in a total of 51 matches and, although he failed to reach the peaks of this exceptional form last season, he still managed to find the back of the net 23 times.

It'll be interesting to see how Benzema manages to adapt to the Real Madrid attack next season alongside superstars such as Kaka and Ronaldo. The Spanish side is currently available to back at odds of [2.14] to win the Spanish league but, despite the flurry of financial activity at the Bernabeu, which has been consistently accompanied by a wealth of rumours about subsequent player arrivals, Barcelona are still favorites at odds of [1.99].

Interestingly, despite the dominance of English soccer sides in the Champions League during recent seasons, the top two Spanish clubs currently reside as favorites in the Winner's Market for the 2009/2010 competition. Madrid can be backed at [6.4], whilst Barcelona, following their victory over Manchester United in the Champions League final back in May, are available to back at odds of [5.7].

Meanwhile, Manchester United have been struggling to fill the void left by the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, which has been exacerbated by the loss of Carlos Tevez. United fans' spirits were lifted at least partially by the arrival of Antonio Valencia, a young talent not worlds apart in terms of style from the Portuguese superstar.

There will undoubtedly be more arrivals at Old Trafford before the Premier League kicks off but the signing of Valencia is an encouraging start. United are still favorites to emerge victorious in next year's Premier League at odds of [3.15] but Chelsea, a side which, perhaps surprisingly, are yet to make a real impact in the transfer market this season, are breathing down their necks in the Winner's Market, at odds of [3.5].

Elsewhere in world soccer news, Landon Donovan has been vocal in his criticism of LA Galaxy team-mate, David Beckham, after the England international enjoyed a loan spell at AC Milan last season. Donovan has been quoted as saying "All that we care about is that he committed to us. As time has gone on, that has not been the case on the field or off the field". One thing seems certain: Beckham is not going to enjoy an easy transition back into the MLS once he returns for Galaxy later this month against the New York Red Bulls.