DESPITE Hibs manager Mixu Paatelainen recently laughing off the suggestion that Real Madrid are monitoring the progress of Easter Road striker Steven Fletcher, the Spanish club's chief scout has re-confirmed that the player has been identified as a signing target.
A report last week said that La Liga champions are ready to make a move for the 21-year-old full internationalist. Their interest was first reported earlier in the year, when chief scout Julen Lopetegui confirmed that the youngster was one of ten tar
gets that Real were monitoring across Europe.
Fletcher is understood to have come to the attention of the Spanish giants when he finished top scorer in the Under-19 European Championships qualifying campaign two years ago.
Now Real are set to consider all of their signing targets, and decide whether to pursue any of those identified by their scouting network, at a summit of leading officials including club president Ramon Calderon, sporting director Predrag Mijatovic and his assistant Miguel Angel Portugal, and manager Bernd Schuster.
At the weekend, Lopetegui said: "We have watched many young players this season and one is Fletcher, but the work of the scouts is now finished and the final decision lies with others."
Fletcher, who made his Scotland debut in a friendly against Croatia in March, is under contract with Hibs until 2013, and would command an attractive fee. If he was to join Real, it is expected that he would either be farmed out to another Spanish club to gain more experience, or would play for a second XI.
When quizzed about Real's interest last week, Paatelainen said: "I don't want to waste your time or mine talking about this because there is nothing to it. There has been no contact between Real Madrid and Hibs regarding Fletcher.
"This is not having a detrimental effect on him as I spoke to him earlier and he was laughing about it. He is just getting ready for the start of pre-season training with Hibs.
"There is nothing in the Real Madrid thing so why talk about things that are not there. It is all smoke in the air." Fletcher carried the responsibility of being the club's principle striker last term, and scored 14 goals, although his form dipped noticeably in the second half of the season. Paatelainen now faces an anxious wait to see if he can hang on to his most valuable asset.
Meanwhile, Hibs striker Abdessalam Benjelloun was on target for Morocco for the second successive week as they beat Mauritania 4-1 in Saturday's World Cup qualifier.
After netting in the 3-0 victory over Ethiopia last weekend, Benjelloun scored his country's second in the humbling of Mauritania in Nouakchott. Despite failing to make an impact under Paatelainen at Easter Road last term, Benjelloun has found his feet on the international stage.
Morocco now face a World Cup qualifying double header with Rwanda, playing away on 14 June before hosting their African counterparts a week later.
Falkirk face competition from clubs in the English Championship and the Netherlands in their bid to sign Sunderland midfielder Arnau Riera on a permanent deal.
Manager John Hughes is keen to lure the former Barcelona B captain back to the Westfield after he spent last season on loan at the SPL outfit. Despite having a year to run on his contract with the Barclays Premier League outfit, the 26-year-old is looking to quit the Stadium of Light as he is yet to make an appearance under manager Roy Keane.
However, Riera's agent Craig Honeyman admits Falkirk are not the only club tracking his client. He said: "Arnau is looking for a move and we hope that will be sooner rather than later.
"He thoroughly enjoyed his time with Falkirk, is very thankful to them for the opportunity last season and he has not ruled out the possibility of going back. Arnau is thinking over a few things but there is interest from the Championship and also in Holland."
St Johnstone and Falkirk could be heading for a compensation tribunal over midfielder Liam Craig's move.
The Bairns are entitled to a fee for the player even though Craig was a free agent when he recently signed a three-year deal with the Saints following last season's successful spell on loan from the SPL outfit.
Falkirk manager Hughes signed Craig, 21, from Ipswich in January 2006 and it is understood they are looking for a six-figure fee for a player that made 55 first-team appearances for the club.
St Johnstone managing director Stewart Duff admits the two clubs are far from reaching a compromise. He said: "We have been in discussions with Falkirk regarding Liam but at the moment we are far apart."
The full article contains 805 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
