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Higuain set to sign new contract

Gonzalo Higuain is close to signing a new contract at Real Madrid.

The Argentine striker has an excellent season and scored a goal to seal the triumph over Espanyol (3-0), on Saturday. Real is set to reward the 22-year-old forward with a new, improved long-term deal.

Higuain has been one of Real’s most consistent performers over the past two seasons, and this season he has netted 14 goals in all competitions.

AS reports that the club chose to offer the Argentina international improved terms to ensure parity of earnings between him and colleague striker Karim Benzema.

Sporting Director Jorge Valdano has commenced negotiations with Higuain’s representatives, and it’s reckoned that both parties will be in a position to make an announcement over the next few days.

Tags: announcement, Argentina, Argentine, colleague, competitions, consistent performers, Director Jorge Valdano, earnings, few days, Gonzalo, Jorge Valdano, Karim Benzema, MADRID, negotiations, new contract, parity, position, Real, real madrid, striker, triumph, two seasons

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Manchester City eye Parma starlet

Manchester City are reportedly in negotiations with Parma to sign their midfield starlet McDonald Mariga. The 22-year-old Kenya international has caught the eye of Roberto Mancini and the Italian club is said to be willing to do business. The 22-year-old has been playing in Italy for two-and-a-half years. He originally joined Parma in 2007 on-loan from Helsingborgs before the Italian club signed him on a permanent deal after impressive displays.

Arsenal and Inter Milan are also reportedly keen to sign Mariga, a fact that has alarmed Roberto Mancini who wants to complete the deal as soon as possible.

According to reports, Mancini has already convinced City’s hierarchy to make a bid worth around £7million for the player.

Sources in Italy claim that Parma president Tommaso Ghiradi and managing director Pietro Leonardi will allow the deal to go through in order to facilitate a permanent deal for Valeri Bojinov, who is currently on loan at Parma.

Tags: arsenal, bojinov, impressive displays, Italy, kenya, leonardi, managing director, manchester city, mcdonald, Milan, negotiations, parma, Pietro Leonardi, roberto mancini, starlet, two and a half years

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Portsmouth to sell Kaboul to pay wages

Portsmouth are waiting to sell Younes Kaboul to Tottenham in order to use the generated cash to pay the wages of the players and staff at Fratton Park. The two clubs are still in negotiation over the transfer of the French defender.

Pompey are hopeful that the deal can go through soon so that the players will be paid by midnight on January 31 at the latest.

Kaboul, rated at £10 million, was taken to Fratton Park by Spurs boss Harry Redknapp in August 2008 having joined Tottenham the previous summer. It is now clear Redknapp wants to re-sign Kaboul.

“We’re not trying to buy him on the cheap,” Redknapp said. “We’re paying whatever the going rate is for him. I would be keen to bring him back if the deal is right for everybody.”

Spurs are also reportedly in talks over goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie has expressed his dismay that he and manager Avram Grant have not been informed of the negotiations.

Asked if he felt his role had become untenable, he said, “In very many ways it probably has.”

Storrie added, “It makes you wonder what one’s doing here at the moment. My love is for the football club and despite what some of the fans may think, it always has been.

“My interest is in what is best for the football club. I’ll always keep that in mind whatever decision we make.

“But one feels aggrieved that over the years some excellent deals have been done in terms of transfers, both in and out. I’d like to think I’m pretty good at getting the right transfer fees.

“If there is a need to sell a player and get a fee then I feel I am the best person for the situation.

“But I knew nothing about it (the Kaboul reports) until Friday morning. I took a call from Avram and was told there were meetings going on at Spurs.”

Tags: 10 million, asmir begovic, boss, chief executive, dismay, football club, Fratton Park, friday morning, Harry Redknapp, kaboul, love, negotiation, negotiations, Peter Storrie, pompey, Portsmouth, spurs, wages

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Ancelotti expects Anelka to stay

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti insists Nicolas Anelka is 100 percent committed to the Blues despite reports that talks over a new contract for the France striker have broken down.

Anelka has 18 months left on his current deal and Chelsea have been unable to tie him to a new contract during several months of negotiations.

The 30-year-old has proved his value to Ancelotti’s team this season with 11 goals, including five in his last four appearances, and his fine form has ensured Didier Drogba has hardly been missed during his time at the African Nations Cup.

Reports on Tuesday that there was only a small chance of a positive contract resolution raised the unwanted possibility of Chelsea having to sell Anelka in the close-season or risk losing him on a free transfer in a year.

But Ancelotti is adamant the former Real Madrid and Arsenal star wants to remain at the west London club and he expects a compromise to be reached.

Asked if he believed Anelka wanted to stay, Ancelotti said: “Yes. The same for Nicolas. He’s happy to work with me and I’m very happy to work with him. That’s a wedding, no? We don’t want to break up!

“I think that they are speaking with his agent and they will try to find the right solution for both the club and for him.

“I’m confident he’ll sign. Anelka is a top player and this club needs to have a lot of top players. There will be a resolution.”

After dropping to third place in the Premier League while on FA Cup duty at the weekend, Ancelotti’s side have a chance to regain top spot with a win over Birmingham at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday if Arsenal fail to defeat Aston Villa the same day.

Ancelotti knows in-form Birmingham will pose a tough test for his team after extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to 15 matches over the weekend.

But Chelsea have won 10 of their 11 home league games this season – scoring seven times in their last home match against Sunderland – and Ancelotti expects his players to rise to the challenge of ending Birmingham’s impressive streak.

“It’s not good (to be third). I think it is important to win on Wednesday because we need three more points. But it’ll be very difficult because everyone knows Birmingham’s quality,” he said.

“They haven’t lost for 15 games and are having an unbelievable season. They have done fantastically well.

“So it’s important for us to have a very good performance. The same as we did against Sunderland, we hope, because we play a very compact team.

“It’s important to move the ball quickly against them because they are able to stay compact for 90 minutes. If we do our best, I think we can win.”

Ancelotti expects United and Arsenal to push his side all the way in a title race shaping up to be a tense three-team scramble for the finish line.

“I think we have to keep in control of both teams. Both teams have enough quality to stay in the top until the end of the season,” he said.

“It’ll be a sprint to the final game. I think all three teams will be in it until the end.”

The Blues, who have two games in hand on current leaders United, will be bolstered by the return to training of Drogba and Salomon Kalou on Wednesday after Ivory Coast were knocked out of the African Nations Cup.

Neither will feature against Birmingham but the pair should be available for Saturday’s trip to Burnley.

“Drogba is an important player for us but we’ve played very well without him,” added Ancelotti.

“It’s important that he comes back here because we have a lot of games in this period and we need to have a lot of players able to play.”

However Juliano Belletti won’t be available for up to a month after a scan revealed the Brazilian defender suffered a knee injury during Saturday’s FA Cup win at Preston.

COBHAM, England (AFP)

Tags: african nations cup, arsenal, Birmingham, carlo ancelotti, CHELSEA, compromise, contract resolution, didier drogba, England, France, home match, impr, Ivory Coast, league games, london club, MADRID, negotiations, new contract, Nicolas, premier league, Preston, real madrid, right solution, Salomon Kalou, seven times, stamford bridge, Sunderland, west london

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Mancini confirms Robinho loan talks

Manchester City are in negotiations about loaning record signing Robinho to one of two Brazilian clubs, Santos or Sao Paulo, City manager Roberto Mancini confirmed on Tuesday.

Mancini also revealed that the Brazilian, signed from Real Madrid in 2008 for a British transfer record of 32.5 million pounds, is in his squad for Wednesday’s League Cup semi-final second leg clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

“It is possible that something could happen,” Mancini said.

“This kind of thing does happen. I know in Italy there were instances when clubs paid a lot of money for a fantastic player but afterwards he needed to play at another club.

“Negotiations are happening but for now he is part of my squad.”

Robinho has only sporadically produced anything like his best form for City and appears to have grown disillusioned with life in the north of England.

A return to his homeland could offer Robinho the opportunity to ensure he secures a place in

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)

Tags: brazilian clubs, clash, England, instances, Italy, MADRID, Manchester, manchester city, manchester england, manchester united, money, negotiations, old trafford, real madrid, roberto mancini, Robinho, Santos, sao paulo

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Juventus confirm Candreva signing

Juventus on Wednesday confirmed the signing of Italy midfielder Antonio Candreva from Udinese following complicated three-way negotiations.

The 22-year-old has signed on loan until the end of the season with an option to then buy him outright.

According to the Italian press Juventus will pay 7.5 million euros to buy a half share in the player until the season’s end with the option to then buy the other half in the summer.

Candreva was on a season-long loan at Livorno, who will also receive a million euros from Juve, according to reports.

The midfielder has one Italy cap to his name having been picked by Marcello Lippi for a 0-0 friendly draw against the Netherlands last year.

He was also a part of the Italian Olympic squad in Beijing in 2008.

He began his career in Serie B with Ternana in 2004 before he was sold to Udinese three years later.

Last season he was loaned out to Livorno and helped them secure promotion from Serie B, after which the club extended his loan deal for a further season.

He will come straight into the Juve squad for Saturday’s visit of AS Roma as Felipe Melo is suspended, Christian Poulsen and Mauro Camoranesi are injured and Mohamed Sissoko will only recently have returned from African Nations Cup duty.

ROME (AFP)

Tags: 5 million, african nations cup, Antonio Candreva, Beijing, christian poulsen, felipe melo, italian press, Italy, juve, juventus, livorno, loan deal, mauro camoranesi, midfielder, mohamed sissoko, negotiations, olympic squad, Roma, ROME, ternana, the Netherlands, udinese

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Agent: no Juventus contact for Hiddink

Guus Hiddink will not make a decision over his future before he has talked to the Russian Football Union. This meeting will take place at the end of this week or at the beginning of next week.

It won’t be until after this meeting that Hiddink can discuss a possible move to Juventus, which has been rumoured for a while now.

Hiddink’s agent, Cees van den Nieuwenhuijzen, insists there’s no contact with the Bianconeri.

“The coach will meet with the Russian Federation at the end of this week or early next,” Van Nieuwenhuijzen told Sport-Express.

“Prior to this, nothing will be decided and there will be no negotiations.”

Hiddink’s contract with the Russian FA expires next summer and he has the possibility to sign a new deal that lasts until the European Championships of 2012.

Van Nieuwenhuizen denies that Hiddink has already signed a pre-contract with Juventus, where coach Ciro Ferrara is under heavy fire.

“This is a colossal absurdity, I do not know where journalists take these inventions, but I can guarantee that we never had any contact with the leadership of Juventus.”

Tags: absurdity, agent, beginning, bianconeri, cees, ciro, ciro ferrara, coach, decision, Express, fire, hiddink, inventions, journalists, juventus, leadership, meeting will take place, negotiations, new deal, nieuwenhuizen, russian federation, russian football union, sport express, Van Nieuwenhuijzen, Van Nieuwenhuizen

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Moyes not in hurry to renew Saha contract

Everton manager David Moyes says he is in no rush to offer Louis Saha a new contract. The Frenchman’s current deal expires at the end of the season.

Both Bordeaux and Roma are thought to have expressed an interest in the 31-year-old. However, Moyes admits that nothing has been resolved as yet.

It is reported that Toffees have yet to make a move to extend the former Manchester United striker since they are unhappy with his wage demands which are understood to be in the region of £60,000 a week

“There are things going on at the moment,” said Moyes.

“The negotiations are ongoing with the chairman and Louis’s representatives. It doesn’t need to be resolved right now because he is under contract until the end of the season. There’s no great rush.

“If he went abroad he can sign a pre-contract but he can’t in this country. I don’t see it being too big an issue.”

Tags: Bordeaux, David Moyes, frenchman, hurry, Louis, Manchester, manchester united, Moyes, negotiations, new contract, Roma, rush, toffees, United, wage demands

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Coyle ready to quit Burnley

Owen Coyle is set to be named the new manager at Bolton Wanderers. Burnley confirm on their official website that the coach has informed them he wishes to take up the vacant managerial post at the Reebok Stadium.

The two clubs are now reportedly in negotiations to determine the compensation package Bolton owe their Premier League counterparts, because Coyle is still under contract at Turf Moor.

Last week, Bolton axed Gary Megson, who had been under pressure for a while. They immediately targeted 43-year-old Coyle as Megson’s successor. Coyle was a popular player for The Trotters midway through the nineties.

The Scottish coach helped Burnley gain promotion to the Premier League last season. Coyle has been in charge of The Clarets since 2007.

A statement from Burnley read: “Owen Coyle has today reaffirmed his desire to leave Burnley Football Club and join Bolton Wanderers Football Club.” “Burnley Football Club will now enter discussions with Bolton Wanderers Football Club, due to the fact that compensation between the two parties has yet to be agreed.”

“There will be no further comment at this time.”

Tags: Bolton, bolton wanderers football club, burnley football club, clarets, coach, compensation, compensation package, counterparts, desire, gain promotion, gary megson, negotiations, Owen Coyle, premier league, reebok stadium, Scottish, trotters, turf moor, Wanderers

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Molinaro prefers Stuttgart move above Atletico

Atletico Madrid already prepared to welcome Cristian Molinaro but their hopes of signing the Juventus defender were rumbled by VfB Stuttgart. The Italian full back will finish the season on a loan base in Stuttgart.

Molinaro was a regular starter for Juventus the last two seasons under Claudio Ranieri but Ciro Ferrara hasn’t shown the same faith in him, giving the 26-year-old just five starts in the Serie A. Ferrara prefers Fabio Grosso, who joined Juve from Olympique Lyon last summer, at the left-back position.

While Atletico Madrid’s executives were thought to be in Turin finalising negotiations to bring Molinaro to the Spanish capital, reports of a sudden twist in the tale came in the form of a last minute bid from Stuttgart.

Molinaro will arrive at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on a six-month loan with a right-to-buy inserted into the deal.

Meanwhile, Juventus are still negotiating Portuguese midfielder Tiago’s sale to Atletico Madrid.

The player’s father, Carlos Mendes, told Spanish newspaper AS: “It’s the right solution for Atletico’s central midfield.”

Tags: A. Ferrara, atletico madrid, carlos mendes, central midfield, ciro ferrara, Claudio Ranieri, Fabio Grosso, hasn, Lyon, MADRID, mercedes benz, midfielder, molinaro, negotiations, olympique lyon, portuguese, right solution, s central, spanish capital, sudden twist, tiago, turin, two seasons, vfb stuttgart

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