Real Madrid has moved to sign a replacement for departed captain Iker Casillas, agreeing a deal to buy Kiko Casilla from Espanyol for a reported six million euros ($A8.8 million).
In a statement on their official website on Friday, Madrid said the 28-year-old would sign a five-year deal once he had passed a medical at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Casilla was on Madrid's books as a youngster before moving to Espanyol in 2007.
With a surname confusingly similar to that of the departing hero, Casilla was playing in the second division just four years ago.
However, he is now on the fringes of the national team and made his Spain debut last November, replacing Casillas during a 1-0 friendly defeat to Germany.
He will compete for the Madrid goalkeeper's position with Costa Rica's Keylor Navas, under former Liverpool and Napoli coach Rafael Benitez, who has taken the helm at Real ahead of the new season.
Meanwhile speculation simmers on in the Spanish and British media that Madrid will at some point sign David de Gea, 24, from Manchester United as Casillas's top long-term replacement.
Madrid drew criticism for the unceremonious departure of Spain hero Casillas last weekend after 25 years at his boyhood club.
He left for Portuguese side Porto after a tough few years, having fallen out with former coach Jose Mourinho and club president Florentino Perez.
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