Madrid  - Real Madrid president Florentino Perez claimed on Thursday that the signing of Spain striker David Villa from Valencia is "a question of time."

In an interview with television channel Canal Nou, Perez said that Valencia president Manuel Llorente "has it clear what he has to do. And me as well. Because of this, the operation is a question of time."

Perez has raised eyebrows across the globe since returning as Real president on June 1, spending 67 million euros (92.95 million dollars) on AC Milan playmaker Kaka and offering a record 96 million euros to Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo.

He is determined to build a team to challenge the Spanish and European domination of Barcelona, and his next target is Villa, currently starring for Spain at the Confederations Cup tournament in South Africa.

Barcelona are also interested in Villa, 27, who was top scorer at Euro 2008.

Llorente, who took over at cash-strapped Valencia three weeks ago, seemed reluctant to sell Villa to Real, possibly preferring to deal with Barca.

Villa, himself, however, has made it clear that he would rather move to Madrid than to Barcelona.

Perez told Canal Nou that "everything that is done has to be done from a position of friendship and cooperation. We have good relations with Valencia."

Perez added that "this is not a film with good and bad guys. This is about historic clubs and rivals, who are going to be fighting for the league title.

"He (Villa) is an excellent player, for whom we have to find a place in our project."

Perez is also interested in signing Xabi Alonso from Liverpool, Franck Ribery from Bayern Munich and Villa's Valencia team-mates David Silva and Raul Albiol, according to Spanish media reports. (dpa)