Rafael Van der Vaart’s move to Real Madrid looks set to enable Roma to finally complete their quest to prise Julio Baptista away from the Bernabéu this summer.

The Italian giants are keen to sign the powerful Brazilian and lodged a bid of €15m last month, but saw the offer turned down despite the player making it clear he fancies the switch.

Now that Madrid have made their first major summer signing, however, the media in Italy believe that it is only a matter of time before Baptista dons a Giallorossi shirt.

Baptista was told at the end of last season tat if the club received a suitable offer then it would be considered, but coach Bernd Schuster has not wanted anyone to leave until now.

With the focus being solely on the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, Madrid have wanted to ensure that a deal was done with Manchester United before attending to other business.

The signing of the Portuguese star now appears highly unlikely and the move for Van der Vaart has signalled a shift in Los Merengues’ attitude.

Reports state that Cicinho believes that his compatriot and former Madrid team-mate, Baptista, will soon be joining him in the Eternal City now that the market is moving again.

Ref From Lucas Brown, Goal.com