With just four points between La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top of the table this Saturday’s ‘El Clasico’ clash is a must-see encounter.

Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro claims he has turned down offers from Manchester City and Bayern Munich as he looks to a return to Juventus.

The World Cup winner is out of contract at Real Madrid at the end of the season and has yet to be offered an extension, but with the 2010 World Cup finals on the horizon, Cannavaro says he is not prepared to to play in an unfamiliar country.

“There will be the World Cup next year and I want to stay relaxed,” Cannavaro told Gazzetta dello Sport. “Real Madrid told me I would have to wait until after the presidential election [to find out about a new contract] and advised me to look around. But I have asked my agent to see if he can find a solution.

“I didn’t want to have to start from scratch with the World Cup around the corner and that’s why I have turned down Manchester City and Bayern.”

Meanwhile, Cannavaro’s agent Gaetano Fedele says the centre-half is nearing a return to Juventus after first club Napoli did not make an offer.

Fedele told Radio Kiss Kiss: “We are waiting for the Bianconeri to send Real Madrid a fax.

“You’ll all need to wait around five days before we define his contract and solve other problems that have cropped up in the last few days.

“The proposal made by Juventus is the most fascinating for many reasons. For now, Fabio will think about finishing the season with Real in the best way possible.

“Napoli never made an offer. There was never any interest. Fabio would have been willing to make enormous economic sacrifices to once again wear the Azzurri jersey.

“Would he have accepted a contract of just a £1m a year? Let’s just say, for Napoli, Fabio would have made extraordinary sacrifices.”

With just four points between La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top of the table this Saturday’s ‘El Clasico’ clash is a must-see encounter.

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