Schalke have signed central defender Felipe Santana from local rivals Borussia Dortmund on a three-year contract.
The Brazilian requested a transfer from Dortmund earlier this week and the Champions League finalists did not want to stand in his way.
"We would like to thank him for five fantastic, successful years and we wish him all the best for his personal future," said Dortmund director of sport Michael Zorc.
Santana, who has appeared 95 times in the Bundesliga and scored six goals, will fill the void left by the retirement of Christoph Metzelder.
"We are very pleased that Felipe Santana has opted for Schalke," said Royal Blues director of sport Horst Heldt.
"He is known for his aggressive tackling, his reliability and his danger in front of goal, while he has known the Bundesliga for five years."
Despite moving between two bitter local rivals, Santana hopes he does not leave behind any ill-feeling at Dortmund.
He said his decision to leave was purely due to his lack of regular football, with Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic the two first-choice central defenders under Jurgen Klopp, while Sokratis Papastathopoulos' arrival from Werder Bremen today has further intensified competition for places.
"It was a tough decision for me to leave," he said on the Dortmund website.
"That is clear by the fact I extended my contract last summer even though I was not playing regularly.
"But I have got to play regularly now if I want my dream of playing in the Brazil national team to become reality, and that is the aim I have."
His last-gasp goal in the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Malaga helped Dortmund eventually reach the final at Wembley.
"It is important for me to thank the fans, my team-mates and the club bosses for the wonderful time I had in Dortmund," he added.
Talks are yet to start regarding an extension to the forward's contract, which expires in two years, but Perez does not want the Portugal international to leave.
"He told me in the summer he was sad and I told him we would do everything possible for him to be content," Perez told Cadena Ser.
"I don't know if he has an offer from PSG. I think Cristiano is the best player in the world. We want to build the Madrid of the future around him and I would like Cristiano to be the best-paid player in the world."
Perez has seen arch-rivals Barcelona complete the signing of Neymar, but explained that a deal to sign the Brazilian sensation would have been too problematic for Real.
He added: "If we had been able to sign Neymar without altering the eco-system of the club we would have, but there were too many conditions attached.
"It would have cost us ?150million (?128m). I don't know how much it cost Barcelona."
Real are currently looking for a new coach ahead of Jose Mourinho's impending exit and PSG boss Carlo Ancelotti is the strong favourite to take charge.
Former Real star Zidane is helping to conduct the search for Mourinho's replacement in his role as director of football, but Perez is keen for the Frenchman to have a spell as the club's coach in the future.
"We don't know who will be the new coach," continued Perez. "But we want this new sporting project to be led by Zidane.
"I hope one day he will be coach. When we choose the coach, the new person and him will analyse the team so we can take a qualitative step forward.
"We have a magnificent team. All I can say is that we will improve by signing the best. I have thought about two players and some more from the youth team. We will see what the coach and Zidane say."
The 36-year-old midfielder is available on a free transfer following his release by Stoke and is keen to extend his playing career.
And the former Southampton man admits a return to the club where it all began certainly appeals.
"I've always said I would love to come back one day," Delap told News & Star Sport. "I don't know what will happen. It is out of my hands and is up to other people.
"Managers will see what they need and hopefully someone will take a risk on me. I'm 37 in July but I still think I could do a job for another couple of seasons.
"I was half-thinking of packing in before I went to Barnsley on loan last season, but I felt quite comfortable playing in the Championship. That got me thinking I could play for a bit longer."
