Madrid could turn to Espanyol's de la Pena

Unable to sign AC Milan's Kaka or Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal, the next best answer for Real Madrid could be Espanyol's Ivan de la Pena.

Spanish daily ABC reported Tuesday that the former FC Barcelona midfielder was being lined up by new coach Bernd Schuster to fill the attacking midfielder spot that either Kaka or Fabregas was earmarked for.

De la Pena is out of contract after four seasons at Espanyol, which he helped guide to the UEFA Cup final in May and a Copa del Rey trophy in 2006.

The former Lazio and Marseilles player was once considered one of Spain's brightest attacking midfielders, earning five call-ups for Spain.