..::Football III::..

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Ramos to appeal booking: 'It must be easy to give me a card'

Sergio Ramos has asked for leniency from referees after picking up his 10th league booking of the season in Real Madrid's 2-0 win against Granada.

Match official Jesus Gil brandished a yellow card at the Spain international for scything down Allan Nyom on Saturday, though the centre-half is confident he will be succesful in appealing the decision.

"I was hoping we'd keep a clean sheet, so that's great news for us," the 27-year-old stated after helping Los Blancos through their seventh consecutive match without conceding.

"But we are going to appeal the card that the referee gave me. It must be easy to give a card to Sergio Ramos! They're going to remove it, I'm sure."

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo was parading his second Ballon d'Or in front of the Santiago Bernabeu crowd before the game when he called over Madrid's pitch supervisor to pose with him, a gesture that Ramos was very touched by.

"Cristiano Ronaldo deserves the tribute that these golden fans gave him," Ramos continued.

"Agustin Herrern [the club's pitch supervisor] lives for Real Madrid. Cristiano's gesture will always remain in his memory and makes him very happy."

Xabi Alonso was just as impressed with the Portuguese star, saying: "I am very happy for him.

"He deserves the Ballon d’Or and to be able to celebrate it with the fans that have supported him so much over recent years, and who continue to do so.

"What we want to do, though, is to keep going as we have been until now. We are playing well and even though there is still a long way to go, we are where we wanted to be."

The capital outfit now sit two points clear at the top of La Liga, with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona both to play on Sunday.

 

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Juan Mata completes £37.1m Manchester United move

Manchester United have completed the signing of Juan Mata from Chelsea, the club have confirmed.

The Spain international missed first-team training with the west London outfit on Wednesday as he closed in on the club-record move to the reigning Premier League champions in a deal worth £37.1 million.

Jose Mourinho has already moved to secure a replacement for the Spaniard, as the Blues gazumped Liverpool to agree a fee with Basel for Mohamed Salah, a transfer which could cost up to £15m.

Speaking about the deal, Mata said he was delighted to have joined the reigning Premier League champions, describing Old Trafford as the "perfect place for me".

"I am thrilled to be joining United. I have enjoyed some very happy years at Chelsea but the time has come for a new challenge," he told the club's official website.

"United is the perfect place for me and I am excited at the chance I have to be part of the next phase in the club's history.

"Chelsea is a top club and I have many friends there but you cannot turn down the chance to join Manchester United. I look forward to helping the manager and the team be successful in the coming years."

David Moyes, meanwhile, confirmed that Mata will make his United debut against Cardiff on Tuesday at Old Trafford.

"I have been impressed with the excitement he has shown to be part of the new Manchester United," he added.

"I know our fans have admired Juan for some time now – he has always played well against us – and I know they will be delighted to see him in the red of United, starting on Tuesday.

"Juan is one of the finest playmakers in the game today and it's a real pleasure to have secured his signature," he added.

"He's been instrumental in Chelsea's recent success, with a notable 28 assists and 32 goals in his last two Premier League seasons."

Mata, twice named Chelsea's Player of the Season, struggled for regular football under Mourinho, with the Portuguese recently admitting his "door was open" should the playmaker seek an exit.

And United have jumped at the opportunity to bring the 25-year-old to Old Trafford, with David Moyes keen to boost his midfield options and strengthen the club's bid to claim Champions League qualification after the disappointment of crashing out of the Capital One Cup.

 

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Congratulations & Good Luck Juan Mata !

Congratulations & Good Luck Juan Mata !

Apita onama karala thibba type 1ke player kenekPattama signing 1kakgodak hopes thiyala thiyanawa Juan Mata gana

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FA Cup 2014.01.26 Fixtures

FA Cup 2014.01.26 Fixtures

Sheffield United Vs Fulham

Chelsea Vs Stoke City​

 

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La Liga 2014.01.26 Fixtures

La Liga 2014.01.26 Fixtures

Almeria Vs Getafe

Osasuna Vs Athletic Bilbao

Rayo Vallecano Vs Atletico Madrid

Barcelona Vs Malaga​

 

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Serie A 2014.01.26 Fixtures

Serie A 2014.01.26 Fixtures


Hellas Verona Vs Roma

Cagliari Vs AC Milan

Inter Vs Catania

Livorno Vs Sassuolo

Parma Vs Udinese

Sampdoria Vs Bologna

Torino Vs Atalanta

Fiorentina Vs Genoa​

 

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La liga eke dan top team walata draw wenna baha...Unoth aniwa ranks bahinawa

 

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'Pepe & Ramos have been perfect in 2014' - Ancelotti


Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti lavished praise on "perfect" defenders Pepe and Sergio Ramos after the side broke the record for most consecutive wins without conceding in Saturday's 2-0 win over Granada.

The Blancos went back to the top of La Liga for the first time since the end of the 2011-12 season, at least temporarily, after Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema fired the capital-based club to victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Italian trainer reserved particular praise for his resilient centre-backs and joked that all the records in the world will not change the fact that Madrid have their heart set on Champions League success to complete La Decima.

"I have to thank all the players for the record," Ancelotti told reporters. "As I have said many times, my players work very hard to retrieve the ball.

"In 2014 games, Pepe and Ramos have been perfect. The workrate of everyone has been very good though.

"I'm liking the record, but I have not forgotten that I won three trophies in pre-season. But they're far from the most important ones. The most important one has ears," he added with a smile, referring to the Champions League trophy.

Ancelotti also praised his players for balancing their offensive and defensive duties in their recent surge up the table, which has seen them leapfrog Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, though they both have a game in hand over the Blancos.

"We didn't recover possession well in the first half," the former Paris Saint-Germain boss continued. "We improved in the second half and it was easier to attack."The most important thing is the balance we have at the moment; it's the key. We defend and attack very well.

"We are calmer now. We will continue to fight & keep the intensity high. Everyone is doing their best."Gareth Bale was hauled off at half-time but Ancelotti insisted that he is likely to be fit to face Espanyol in Madrid's second-leg quarter-final Copa del Rey clash on Tuesday.

"Bale didn't feel comfortable after the knock he received and that's why I took him off," he added. "He's not injured and should be fit to play in the next match."

pepe 0 cards

 

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La liga eke dan top team walata draw wenna baha...Unoth aniwa ranks bahinawa

Machan next March wala thiyanawa neda Atletico Madrid & Barcelona matches

 

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Machan next March wala thiyanawa neda Atletico Madrid & Barcelona matches

ow.. ewa draw wenna baha. aniwa result ekak one

 

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Juan Mata completes £37.1m Manchester United move

 

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Chelsea 1-0 Stoke City: Oscar shines as Blues start life after Mata with narrow win

Chelsea progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a slender 1-0 victory over Stoke City at Stamford Bridge courtesy of a stunning first-half free kick from Oscar.


The hosts looked comfortable throughout as the Potters struggled to find a way through the home defence, but the Blues had to wait almost half an hour to open the scoring.Samuel Eto'o went down under the challenge of Erik Pieters to win a free-kick 20 yards out, from which Oscar found the net with a superb curling strike.

The Brazilian and Andre Schurrle were both denied by the woodwork and Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic also produced several fine saves as Chelsea went in search of a second.

The result sees Mourinho - who won this competition in 2006-07 - maintain his record of having never failed to make it beyond the fourth round of the FA Cup during his two stints as Chelsea manager.

Chelsea handed a second full debut to Nemanja Matic, who returned to the club from Benfica earlier this month, while Stoke included Begovic following a month on the sidelines with a broken finger.

Mourinho's men made a bright start to the tie and Eto'o almost broke the deadlock in the opening minutes, sending the ball just wide of the right-hand post and missing out on what would have been his ninth goal at Stamford Bridge this season.Peter Crouch got the better of David Luiz at the other end moments later, but directed his eventual header wide of the target.

Referee Chris Foy waved play on as Eden Hazard went down under the challenge of Wilson Palacios in the Stoke penalty area in the 14th minute, with replays suggesting he made the right call.Chelsea dominated possession as the half progressed, although both sides were struggling to carve out any clear-cut goalscoring opportunities.

However, it only took one shot on target for the hosts to go ahead – Oscar curling a wonderful 20-yard free-kick into the top left-hand corner of the net in the 28th minute.

Chelsea should have extended their lead in the closing stages of the half, with Frank Lampard failing to get enough purchase on a sliding effort inside the six-yard box and Oscar powering a shot against the right-hand upright moments later.

Stoke's record of having not scored at Stamford Bridge on their last five visits will not have filled the travelling support with confidence as their team chased an equaliser, and Chelsea continued to look most likely to find the back of the net after the break as Schurrle struck the post early on.

Oscar, who was among Chelsea's top performers, sent the ball just wide following a well-worked move in the 53rd minute, before Jonathan Walters blasted wide at the other end.

Ramires and Eto'o both squandered chances to convert from close-range after a Hazard cut-back as Chelsea looked to put the result beyond doubt.With time ticking away, former Chelsea striker Mark Hughes decided to throw on Oussama Assaidi, who netted the winner when these sides met in the Premier League last month, but the Moroccan could not inspire fightback during his 18 minutes of action.

Begovic was forced to push over his crossbar from a thunderous Luiz free-kick in the closing stages, but Stoke were unable to avoid succumbing to their seventh consecutive defeat at Chelsea.

 

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Cagliari 1-2 AC Milan: Pazzini seals stunning comeback

Two goals in two minutes from Mario Balotelli and Giampaolo Pazzini saw AC Milan come from behind to win 2-1 in the dying moments at Cagliari.

The home side looked on course for their first victory over the Rossoneri since 1998 after Marco Sau's clever finish in the 28th minute.Milan missed a host of chances to equalise but with three minutes left, Balotelli again stepped up for new manager Clarence Seedorf, curling in an excellent free-kick.

The former Manchester City striker scored the winner in Seedorf's first match in charge – a 1-0 Serie A win against Verona – while he also netted in a 2-1 Coppa Italia quarter-final loss to Udinese on Wednesday.

And Pazzini – introduced as a substitute for Robinho on the hour-mark – hooked in Keisuke Honda's corner in the 89th minute, as his first league goal of the season gave Milan three precious points.The late goals gave the visitors their first back-to-back Serie A wins of the season, as Cagliari's winless run stretched to six matches.

With Christian Abbiati and Andrea Poli the latest Milan players to be struck down by the flu, want-away goalkeeper Marco Amelia made his first appearance of the season.

Cagliari were boosted by Friday's news that striker Mauricio Pinilla had his two-match suspension halved on appeal, allowing him to start, but Colombia forward Victor Ibarbo was still banned.

Amelia made a shaky start, with a mis-kick leading to an early Cagliari chance, but Andrea Cossu's heavy first touch robbed him of a shot on goal, while Robinho curled wide at the other end.Cagliari then took the lead, against the run of play, after another shoddy Amelia clearance fell to Pinilla.

The Chilean picked out Sau with a chipped ball, and he took it down on his chest before showing excellent composure to wrong-foot Daniele Bonera and calmly slot the game's first goal.

Honda headed at Avramov following an excellent Mattia De Sciglio cross as Milan looked to respond, but their sluggishness at the back was highlighted by Bonera completely missing the ball, allowing Pinilla a shot on goal just before half-time.Milan improved after the break, as Riccardo Montolivo shot wide just two minutes after the resumption, while Balotelli and Honda shot over, the latter after a clever one-two with Robinho.

But despite their continued chances, Milan could not take advantage, and they were nearly made to pay when Pinilla tried his luck with an angled drive from 18 yards that narrowly missed the top-left corner.Kaka had a goalbound-header cleared by Davide Astori, but Balotelli's delightful set-piece, after Cagliari substitute Matias Cabrera's deliberate handball, set up a tense finish.

And Pazzini produced the goods for Milan, flicking a late corner into the back of the net to delight his new boss.

 

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Inter 0-0 Catania: Draw prolongs Nerazzurri agony

Inter's winless streak in 2014 continued after they drew 0-0 at home to Catania on Sunday.

The Nerazzurri's first five games of the calendar year have now yielded two draws and three defeats, while a run of one Serie A win from nine has seen them slip to fifth.

Diego Milito had the hosts' best chance in the first half as he forced goalkeeper Alberto Frison into a good stop, but a lack of creativity and cutting edge meant their difficult spell rarely looked like ending on Sunday.

After the break Catania's Gonzalo Bergessio spurned two good chances as the underdogs looked to heap the misery on Inter, but their attacking threat proved as toothless as the hosts'.

Walter Mazzarri's men stepped up the pressure late on and Rolando saw his header well saved by Frison, but Catania held on for a point, although it was not enough to move them up the table, with Livorno beating Sassuolo.
Mazzarri named an unchanged side from the 1-0 defeat to Genoa, with Fredy Guarin left out altogether after expressing a desire to leave.

Rolando Maran made four alterations to the Catania side beaten by Fiorentina last time out, with Francesco Lodi's return from suspension being the most notable inclusion.

After a quiet opening to the match, Inter eventually started to exert some control and in the 21st minute they went close to breaking the deadlock as Milito narrowly failed to connect with Ricky Alvarez's cross.

Milito was involved again five minutes later. The Argentine latched on to an Esteban Cambiasso pass on the edge of Catania's area and fired a low shot at goal, but Frison denied him with an excellent save down to his right.

Inter continued to dominate possession and frequently got the ball into the visitors' box, but could not create any clear-cut chances.

Mazzarri's charges found goal-scoring opportunities even harder to come by in the second half as Catania grew in confidence at the back and in attack.

The visitors almost made the perfect start to the half as Bergessio turned cleverly on the edge of the hosts’ area before shooting left-footed, but his effort went agonisingly wide of Samir Handanovic's left-hand post.

The powerful Bergessio went close again in the 55th minute as he curled an attempt towards the top-right corner and out of Handanovic’s reach, but fortunately for Inter it flew just over the crossbar.Rolando saw his late header brilliantly saved by Frison, denying Inter three valuable points and stretching their winless run to four league matches.

 

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Sheffield United 1-1 Fulham: Rodallega earns replay for Cottagers

Hugo Rodallega's second-half goal denied 10-man Sheffield United an FA Cup fifth-round spot as Fulhamcame from behind to force a replay.

League One outfit United, who beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the third round, looked to be on course for a second successive Premier League giant-killing when striker Chris Porter gave them the lead midway through the first half at Bramall Lane.However, the game turned early in the second period when United captain Michael Doyle was sent-off for violent conduct.

And Fulham, who needed a replay to overcome Norwich City and reach the fourth round, took advantage of the extra man as Colombian striker Rodallega levelled matters with 15 minutes remaining.

Rene Meulensteen's side could not break through a determined home defence in the closing stages, with Darren Bent somehow shooting wide from point-blank range late on as United held on.

The hosts handed a debut to John Brayford, signed on loan from Cardiff on Friday, while 19-year-old Joshua Passley made his first appearance for a Fulham side that featured 11 changes from the 2-0 Premier League defeat to Arsenal.
Fulham made a bright start to proceedings and created the game's first chance after five minutes as Rodallega headed narrowly over the crossbar.

However, the visitors were forced into a change shortly after, Ange-Freddy Plumain replacing John Arne Riise following the Norwegian's collision with an advertising hoarding.Jose Baxter curled wide from a free-kick for Nigel Clough's men just after the 20-minute mark, as chances proved few and far between in the early stages.

But United took the lead with their first real opportunity of the game after as Porter turned home Harry Maguire's shot across the face of goal.

Fulham were left aggrieved moments later, the London club denied a penalty by referee Andre Marriner despite goalkeeper George Long appearing to bring down Rodallega.Clough made one change at half-time, with another new recruit Stefan Scougall taking the place of goalscorer Porter.

And United were forced to make a further alteration just minutes into the second half as Robert Harris came on for injured defender Maguire shortly after Pajtim Kasami had curled wide for Fulham.United were then reduced to 10, Doyle seeing red for an ill-advised kick on Chris David in an off-the-ball altercation.

Still, that dismissal did not impact the hosts' ambition, and midfielder Ryan Flynn - who scored the winner at Villa Park in round three - came close to adding a second when his near-post shot was kept out by David Stockdale.Fulham dictated possession in the second half as their numerical advantage began to tell, but Meulensteen's men were fortunate not to concede a penalty for Aaron Hughes' apparent trip on Flynn.

Again Marriner dismissed the claims, and Fulham's quality told in the 75th minute, Rodallega finding the bottom corner from the edge of the area with a fierce low finish.

Defender Philippe Senderos hit the bar with a header eight minutes from time before Bent's incredulous miss encapsulated a frustrating afternoon for Fulham.

 

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Verona 1-3 Roma: Gervinho reignites Scudetto race

Roma kept their hopes of Scudetto glory alive with a hard-fought 3-1 away win over Hellas Verona in Serie A's early kick-off on Sunday.

Following Juventus' 1-1 draw with Lazio in the capital on Saturday, the pressure was on the Giallorossi to claim all three points and strikes from Adem Ljajic and Gervinho either side of a Emil Hallfredsson goal and Francesco Totti's late penalty ensured the visitors capitalised on their rivals' slip-up.

Much of the first half was a stale, flat affair. Roma were perhaps the better of the two teams, with Maicon's cross almost wrong-footing Rafael in the Verona goal before Mattia Destro failed match his turn with a finish.

What was more noticeable in the early exchanges was the feistiness of both teams, with Vasilis Torosidis, Romulo and Radja Nainggolan all making committed challenges - the latter two both picking up bookings.

As the game wore on, Roma began to craft more and more sights of goal. Rafael was forced to paw a looping Leandro Castan effort over the bar before Ljajic lifted an effort off target after picking up a poor clearance on the edge of the box.

Perhaps the best chance came on 34 minutes, when Gervinho flew down the left and squared it to Destro, who contrived to put it over just a couple of yards from goal.

In an almost identikit move, though, Gervinho set up the first goal, this time laying it on for Ljajic, whose deft flick went beyond Rafael on the stroke of half-time.

Verona came out with renewed vigour in the second period and were back on level terms within a matter of minutes. Juan Iturbe and Massimo Donati combined to set up Hallfredsson and the Icelandic midfielder unleashed a brilliant left-footed shot which Morgan De Sanctis had no chance of saving.

That only served to wake up Roma and after conceding a corner following a goal-mouth scramble, Gervinho picked up the loose ball, drove past two men and smashed a right-footed effort into the bottom corner.

Having regained the lead, the capital club never looked to be in danger of losing and the introduction of Totti saw the game out of sight. After driving wide from distance, the veteran was handed the chance to put the game beyond all doubt from the spot after Rafael Marques felled Vasilis Torosidis and made no mistake.

This result leaves Roma just six points off defending Serie A champions Juventus and six ahead of third-placed Napoli.

 

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Totti: Roma at Juventus' level

Francesco Totti has voiced his delight with Roma's 3-1 Serie A win over Verona and believes Sunday's display proves they are on a par with Juventus.

The Giallorossi had the chance to close the gap with Juve to six points following the reigning champions' 1-1 draw against Lazio on Saturday and Totti was happy to see his side seize the opportunity to reignite the Scudetto race.

"We had to win this game in order to give our rivals for the Scudetto a signal," Totti was quoted as saying by Corriere dello Sport.

"We had to win and we did just that. We are at the same level as Juventus."

Totti then went on to praise Gervinho, who played a key role in Roma's victory with a goal and an assist.

"Gervinho is the kind of player who can create something from out of nowhere.

"We are very happy to have him in our squad. He is a very strong player."

The 26-year-old has developed into an important first-team player at Roma since joining the Serie A side from Arsenal at the start of the season, scoring five goals in 17 appearances.

 

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Arsenal dispatch delegation for Draxler & Jung talks

Arsenal officials will fly out to Germany at the start of this week to hold talks with Julian Draxler and Schalke as they target two new signings from the Bundesliga.

The Premier League leaders will attempt to broker a deal for the Germany star in a bid to sign him before Friday’s transfer deadline, and they will also open negotiations with Frankfurt over a move for right-back Sebastian Jung.

Arsenal have been in dialogue with Schalke for a number of weeks but, contrary to reports that a fee for Draxler has already been agreed, it is understood that the two clubs are still some way apart in their valuations.


Arsene Wenger values the forward at between €30 million and €36m but Schalke want the Gunners to meet the £45m release clause inserted in the five-year contract signed by the 20-year-old last summer.

Even if the two clubs can settle a fee, Goal has learned that Schalke want to land a replacement for Draxler, with Tottenham’s Lewis Holtby said to be high on their target list, before sanctioning the departure of their prize asset.

Goal exclusively revealed on January 11 that Arsenal were weighing up a January move for Draxler and that the club were confident he could be developed from a wide player into a centre-forward.

Wenger has been in the market for a "special" forward in the last three windows and stepped up his search this month following Theo Walcott's season-ending knee injury.

Preliminary discussions have taken place between Schalke and Arsenal, and the Gunners have also learned that Draxler is keen to move to the Emirates Stadium and follow in the footsteps of fellow German internationals Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski.

Speaking after Arsenal knocked Coventry out of the FA Cup on Friday night, Wenger claimed that the Gunners’ reported pursuit of Draxler was “an illusion”, but behind the scenes progress has been made in capturing a player who has been coveted by a number of Premier League clubs.

Wenger has also been pursuing loan options this month as he keeps his attacking options open, and is believed to have lined up a short-term striker deal as back-up if Arsenal cannot agree a Draxler deal. If the Gunners cannot finalise a transfer for the forward before the window closes, they are expected to make another move in the summer.Arsenal officials will also meet with their counterparts at Frankfurt in the coming days for talks about a move for Jung, 23.

The German is valued at €8m and has jumped to the top of the Gunners’ list of right-back targets as question marks remain over the future of Bacary Sagna. Arsenal could hold off until the summer for a formal move for Jung, but the immediacy of the talks suggests a bid may be imminent.As revealed by Goal, the Frenchman’s representatives met with Arsenal earlier this month in a bid to broker a breakthrough in contract negotiations.

However, Sagna has yet to agree to remain at the Emirates. His contract expires in the summer and he has offers on the table from a number of leading continental clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and Inter.

 

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Mandzukic still important for Bayern, insists Hoeness

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has insisted that Mario Mandzukic remains a key player amid rumours the striker could be sold in January.

Mandzukic was left out of the Bayern squad for their 2-0 Bundesliga win over Borussia Moinchengladbach on Friday after failing to impress in training, fuelling speculation that the 27-year-old could be leave FCB this winter.

"I have heard that Mario did not train very well," the Bayern president told Sky.

"I really hope that he will improve in the next few weeks. We need Mario Mandzukic this season.

"We have a number of important games coming up and it would be very unwise if we were to approach this important period without Mario."

Mandzukic has netted 10 goals in 16 Bundesliga appearances so far this season.

The striker has a contract with Bayern until the summer of 2016.

 

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Essien to complete Milan move on Monday

Michael Essien will sign an 18-month deal with AC Milan on Monday to complete his transfer from Chelsea after passing his medical on Sunday, Goal can confirm.

The Ghana international travelled to Italy on Friday evening after Chelsea sanctioned his departure to the San Siro side.

The first part of his medical exposed a knee problem that initially seemed to pose a problem, but Essien eventually got the green light after further tests in the afternoon.

"Haters will broadcast your failure but whisper your success. Medical's done, looking forward to start my new life with AC Milan," the midfielder stated on his official Twitter account.

Essien becomes Milan's third signing of the January transfer window following the arrivals of Adil Rami and Keisuke Honda.

The 31-year-old started his professional career with Bastia and also wore the Olympique Lyonnais jersey before joining Chelsea in 2005.

He won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the Champions League during his time with the Blues.

The midfielder was shipped out on loan to Real Madrid last season and will now continue his career in Serie A.