Juventus sign Germany's Khedira on free transfer from Real Madrid

Khedira had a reasonably successful five-year stint with the La Liga club but fell out of favour after talks on a contract extension failed.

Juventus moved to strengthen their midfield by signing Germany international and World Cup winner Sami Khedira from Real Madrid on a free transfer, the Italian champions said on Tuesday.

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Khedira, 28, has agreed to a four-year contract with the Champions League runners-up and will join the Turin club on July 1, Juventus said on their website.

"Khedira, who is normally deployed in front of the defence as a ball-winning midfielder, is able to cover a lot of ground while also possessing excellent passing and shooting ability and great vision of the game," Juventus said. "Bianconeri boss Massimiliano Allegri is set to add a player of class, quality and international experience to his ranks, ready to enrich one of the strongest midfields in world football."

After joining Real from VfB Stuttgart in 2010, Khedira had a reasonably successful five-year stint with the La Liga club but fell out of favour after talks on a contract extension failed.

Last month, he accused Real of freezing him out by dropping him from the team even though he was fit to play. He barely featured since the turn of the year, with Real citing a series of minor injuries as the reason for his absence, but Khedira said the club had decided he was no longer wanted.

Khedira's move to Juventus could facilitate the exit of their France midfielder Paul Pogba, who is reportedly a target for clubs including Real, European champions Barcelona, and several English teams as well as Paris St Germain.