Bundesliga outfit Hamburg have won the race to sign Ruud van Nistelrooy from Real Madrid.
The Dutch striker had featured prominently on the January wish list of numerous top clubs, with his prolific goalscoring exploits marking him out as a useful acquisition.
The former Manchester United frontman had been strongly linked with a return to the Premier League, with West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City known to be courting his services.
However, the 33-year-old has opted against a second stint in England, choosing instead to head for Germany.
He underwent a medical at Hamburg on Saturday, which he passed with flying colours despite seeing his career of late littered with niggling knocks.

Im so glad hes no going to west ham , shame we didnt have the money to have him

Good luck Ruud hes been a fantastic player over the years.