Standard Liege, the Belgian club where U.S. international Oguchi Onyewu plays his club soccer, has revealed that Spanish giant Real Madrid attempted to sign the player before the transfer deadline in August-and may yet try to land him again before the season is over. “A transfer is now open to discussion,” Belgian legend Michel Preud’homme, the club’s coach, told Het Laaste Nieuws yesterday. “It was a fabulous offer [from Real] but we did not let Onyewu leave then because we had no time to bring in a replacement.” Things are different now, however, and the player we affectionately refer to as “Gooch” is once again being linked to a move to the Santiago Bernabeu. Real coach Fabio Capello is said to be keen to sign the player for somewhere in the neighborhood of $7.8 million, although the Eurosport report doesn’t specify whether the proposed move would be in January or at the close of the season. English club Middlesbrough has also expressed interest in the USA international, but if Gooch indeed makes his way to Madrid, it would likely make Jonathan Woodgate’s Boro loan permanent. What a fantastic experience it would be for the 24-year old to train alongside the likes of Fabio Cannavaro and Sergio Ramos. He wouldn’t necessarily rot on the bench either, as Ivan Helguera, Cannavaro’s partner in the center of defense, has looked suspect on several occasions this year, while Ramos may have permanently made the move to right-back following the long-term injury to Brazilian Cicinho.