Last updated: 25th July 2008
Van der Vaart: Real target
Hamburg have rejected an offer from Real Madrid for midfielder Rafael van der Vaart.
Real Madrid have been tracking the Dutchman for the past few weeks but it was unclear whether they would lodge a firm bid.
The Bundesliga club have now revealed that an approach has been knocked back, with new boss Martin Jol determined to keep his captain and chief playmaker.
"The offer was absolutely out of the question," Hamburg sports director Dietmar Beiersdorfer told German agency SID.
It is understood that Real's offer was in the region of 7million euros (£5.5million).
Van der Vaart is under contract at Hamburg until 2010 but there is a clause which allows him to leave for a fixed price of 1.5million euros (£1.2million) in the year before his deal expires.
The Holland international has publicly stated that he is happy to stay with Hamburg for another season, but Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder claimed last week that his compatriot was desperate to move to the Bernabeu.

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| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 13th February | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| 14:30 | VfB Stuttgart vs Hamburg |
| Thursday 18th February | |
| Europa League | |
| 20:05 | Hamburg vs PSV |
| Saturday 20th February | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| 14:30 | Hamburg vs Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Thursday 25th February | |
| Europa League | |
| 18:00 | PSV vs Hamburg |
| Sunday 28th February | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| 16:30 | Bayern Munich vs Hamburg |
| Saturday 6th March | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| 14:30 | Hamburg vs Hertha Berlin |
| Saturday 13th March | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| 14:30 | Bayer Leverkusen vs Hamburg |
| Saturday 20th March | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| 14:30 | Hamburg vs Schalke 04 |
| Saturday 27th March | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| 14:30 | Borussia M'gladbach vs Hamburg |
| Saturday 3rd April | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| 14:30 | Hamburg vs Hannover 96 |
| Saturday 10th April | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| 14:30 | VfL Bochum vs Hamburg |
| Saturday 17th April | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| 14:30 | Hamburg vs Mainz |
| Saturday 24th April | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| 14:30 | TSG Hoffenheim vs Hamburg |
| Saturday 1st May | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| 14:30 | Hamburg vs Nurnberg |
| Saturday 8th May | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| 14:30 | Werder Bremen vs Hamburg |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Saturday 6th February | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Cologne 3 - 3 Hamburg | |
| Friday 29th January | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Hamburg 1 - 1 Wolfsburg | |
| Saturday 23rd January | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Borussia Dortmund 1 - 0 Hamburg | |
| Saturday 16th January | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Hamburg 2 - 0 SC Freiburg | |
| Sunday 20th December | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Hamburg 2 - 1 Werder Bremen | |
| Thursday 17th December | |
| Europa League | |
| Hapoel Tel-Aviv 1 - 0 Hamburg | |
| Saturday 12th December | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Nurnberg 0 - 4 Hamburg | |
| Saturday 5th December | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Hamburg 0 - 0 TSG Hoffenheim | |
| Wednesday 2nd December | |
| Europa League | |
| Hamburg 2 - 0 Rapid Vienna | |
| Saturday 28th November | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Mainz 1 - 1 Hamburg | |
| Sunday 22nd November | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Hamburg 0 - 1 VfL Bochum | |
| Sunday 8th November | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Hannover 96 2 - 2 Hamburg | |
| Thursday 5th November | |
| Europa League | |
| Hamburg 0 - 0 Celtic | |
| Saturday 31st October | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Hamburg 2 - 3 Borussia M'gladbach | |
| Sunday 25th October | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Schalke 04 3 - 3 Hamburg | |
| Thursday 22nd October | |
| Europa League | |
| Celtic 0 - 1 Hamburg | |
| Saturday 17th October | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Hamburg 0 - 0 Bayer Leverkusen | |
| Sunday 4th October | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Hertha Berlin 1 - 3 Hamburg | |
| Thursday 1st October | |
| Europa League | |
| Hamburg 4 - 2 Hapoel Tel-Aviv | |
| Saturday 26th September | |
| German Bundesliga | |
| Hamburg 1 - 0 Bayern Munich | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Bayern Munich | 21 | 45 |
| 3 | Schalke | 21 | 42 |
| 4 | Hamburg | 21 | 36 |
| 5 | Borussia Dortmund | 21 | 36 |
| 6 | Werder Bremen | 21 | 31 |
Barca had two men sent off, Robbie Keane scored for Celtic while FC Twente finally lost in Holland.
Spain's big two both won, Rangers remain 10 points clear while AC Milan were held at home.
Stunning Cork City fan Lisa-Marie was strutting her stuff in the Soccer AM studios on Saturday.
Ruud van Nistelrooy claims Feyenoord attempted to sign him from Real Madrid in the transfer window.
Bayern Munich have gone level with Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga.
Hamburg defender Jerome Boateng is keen to sign a new deal at the club despite Man City's reported interest.
Hamburg grabbed an injury-time equaliser to seal a 1-1 draw with Wolfsburg.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has cited his desire to play at the top level for as long as possible as his reason for joining Hamburg.