..::Football III::..

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Manchester City abandon Fernando & Mangala chase

Manchester City have abandoned hope of luring Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala from Porto, Goal has learned.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini had sanctioned a double deadline day swoop in a late bid to strengthen his squad ahead of the Premier League run-in.

But Porto are furious with Fernando and City after the Portuguese champions had reached a verbal agreement with the midfielder over a new contract worth €200,000 (£165,000) per month which would have made him the highest-paid player in the country.

The player changed his mind following interest from City, who then made a £3.5 million bid - half of Porto’s valuation.

City had earlier given up on Mangala after being unable to negotiate down Porto’s asking price of more than £40m, but retained hope of getting Fernando.

But Porto have held firm despite repeated attempts to get a deal done on Friday.
Porto's salary package for Fernando included an agreement that the Brazil-born holding midfielder can leave in six months' time for a set fee of €15m [£12.3m].

City do not expect any players to leave the club on Friday. Joleon Lescott had been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium throughout January, while recent rumours had suggested that Jack Rodwell could be loaned out, but the failure to recruit the Porto pair appears to have put paid to those plans.

 

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Official: Juventus sign Osvaldo on loan

Juventus have signed Southampton striker Pablo Osvaldo on loan until the end of the season, with an option to make the move permanent for a fee of €19 million at the end of his temporary spell.

The Serie A champions were keen to add some more depth to their attack as they chase their third consecutive Scudetto and head coach Antonio Conte sees the former Roma man as a valuable addition to his squad.

Osvaldo has fallen out of favour at Southampton following a training ground incident in which he became embroiled in a fight with defender Jose Fonte.

That incident saw him suspended for two weeks and he will now continue his career at Juventus as he aims to play his way into Italy's World Cup squad.

The 28-year-old joined Southampton from Roma at the start of the 2013-14 campaign and has since scored three goals in 13 Premier League appearances.

The striker previously enjoyed spells in Italy at Atalanta, Lecce, Fiorentina, Bologna and Roma, while also wearing the jerseys of Huracan and Espanyol.

He has a contract with Southampton until June 2017.

 

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zouma,Matic,mohamed Salah

 

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Arsenal announce Kallstrom signing

Arsenal have announced the loan signing of Kim Kallstrom from Spartak Moscow.

The Gunners have confirmed that he will be eligible to take part in the remainder of their Champions League fixtures despite featuring for Spartak in the Europa League play-offs.

Arsene Wenger welcomed Kallstrom with a statement to the club's official website: “Kim Kallstrom is a hugely-experienced player.

"He is a midfielder with proven quality at both club and international level. We welcome Kim to Arsenal.”

Kallstrom added: “Arsenal is an amazing club with a lot of great players and a coach who has done really well here for a long time. I am so pleased to come here to learn as much as possible.

"I’m here to do my best for Arsenal and to help out the team, so we can achieve good results for the last part of the season."Wenger was forced to move for a central midfielder after Aaron Ramsey suffered a setback in his recovery from a thigh injury which would rule him out for a further four to six weeks.

Wenger first tried to sign Blaise Matuidi from Paris Saint-Germain, but Goal understands the Frenchman has elected to extend his contract at the Parc des Princes.

Morgan Schneiderlin was also under consideration but Southampton's £15 million valuation proved prohibitive.

It emerged on Friday morning that Kallstrom had become Wenger's No.1 target, and the Sweden international completed his medical and put pen to paper later that day.

The Gunners had earlier given up hope of signing Germany forward Julian Draxler from Schalke, and were rebuffed in their attempts to sign Miroslav Klose from Lazio as a back-up option.

 

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Arsenal announce Kallstrom signing

 

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Chelsea loan Kakuta to Lazio

Lazio have signed Chelsea attacker Gael Kakuta on loan until the end of the season.

The 22-year-old has joined the Roman club for a fifth loan stint away from Stamford Bridge, having previously enjoyed spells with Fulham, Bolton Wanderers, Dijon and Vitesse Arnhem after becoming a Blues player in 2007.

The midfielder was banned for four months in 2009 after being found by Fifa to have breached his contract with Lens when signing for the London club, but has since managed just 16 games in all competitions for Chelsea.

He will now join a Lazio midfield shorn of the services of Anderson Hernanes, who has signed for Inter in a €20 million transfer, having been recalled from his second season-long loan at Vitesse at the beginning of January.

The Frenchman, who has been capped at every level from under-16 to under-21, has played a total of 69 games in his combined loan spells and scored 11 goals, with three of them coming in 14 games for Vitesse this term.

 

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Inter sign Hernanes from Lazio

Inter have confirmed the signing of Hernanes from Lazio for an initial fee believed in the region of €18 million, potentially rising to €20m depending on performance-related bonuses.

The Nerazzurri were desperate to strengthen their squad after a succession of disappointing results in the past few months and had already brought in Danilo D'Ambrosio from Torino during the January transfer window.

Hernanes had established himself as a firm favourite with Lazio fans following his arrival at the Stadio Olimpico from Sao Paulo in 2010, playing 154 matches for the Biancocelesti and scoring 40 goals.

However, he has now penned a contract with Inter until the summer of 2018, worth €2.8m per season.

The Brazilian insisted, though, during an interview with Lazio Style Radio that financial gain had had nothing to do with his decision to move to San Siro.

"I'm not leaving Lazio for money; my wife Erika knows the truth," he explained.

“Now I've made my choice, I would like to say thanks to all of you, the president, my team-mates and all the supporters.“In my life I always tried to do my best, now I have the feeling it's time to make a change.

"It has been a hard night [Thursday], I didn't sleep at all. I knew the supporters loved me, I couldn't imagine they did so much. I'll keep them in my heart"
The 28-year-old played an integral role for Lazio in their Coppa Italia triumph last season and around 200 Lazio fans protested the sale on Thursday at the club's Formello training ground with the Brazil international reduced to tears as he explained his desire to move on from the Italian capital side.

Inter currently sit fifth in the Serie A table with 33 points from 21 games.

 

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Crystal Palace sign Dann

Crystal Palace have strengthened their back line with the signing of Scott Dann from Blackburn for an undisclosed fee.

Dann, a former England Under-21s international, has penned a three-and-a-half-year deal at Selhurst Park.

He becomes Palace's third signing on transfer deadline day, in a busy night for the Premier League side.

On completing his move, former Birmingham City centre-half Dann said: "It's been a long day and a long transfer window with a lot of speculation, so it's nice to finally put pen to paper and get it done. I'm looking forward to the next three and a half years.

"Any professional footballer will tell you that they want to be in the Premier League.

"It's something I've done before and really enjoyed, and having the opportunity to come and play here for the next couple of years, do well and help the team - it's something I really wanted to do and I'm glad that it's all gone through."

Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey had already arrived from Wolves, with Jason Puncheon joining the club on a permanent basis after a spell on loan from Southampton.

Dann has previously played in the Premier League with Birmingham City, as well as Rovers, but suffered relegation with both of those clubs.

He made over 100 appearances for Gary Bowyer's side but now links up with Tony Pulis, arriving with the Eagles four points above the relegation places.

The Eagles will need to recover from their busy transfer period quickly with a tough task away to Arsenal on Sunday.

 

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Official: Atletico Madrid complete Diego loan deal

Atletico Madrid have completed the loan signing of Wolfsburg playmaker Diego.

The Brazilian returns to the Vicente Calderon where he won the Europa League with los Rojiblancos in the 2011-2012 campaign.

The 28-year-old has scored three goals in 15 Bundesliga games this season but will now join high-flying Diego Simeone's men until the end of the term.

Diego told the official club website: "I feel a great emotion at coming back to a team where I did fantastically well. I am very excited. I just think about getting to work to help the team keep winning.

"It was a matter of time before Atletico reached the level that they are at now. I already saw the potential of the team and the club when I was here the first time.

"I am very happy to be part of such a strong group and one of the form teams in Europe."

Meanwhile, the club's sporting director Jose Luis Caminero hopes they can hold on to Diego beyond his initial deal.

"We are delighted with the arrival of Diego because he gives us alternatives and will further enhance our squad.

"He is a player who brings different things, that surprises the opposition with his last pass, he will fit in with ease and he will complete our set piece choices with his great strikes.

"We have wanted him for some time, but for various reasons it was not possible. Now we've got him here until end of season and hopefully he can be with us for much longer."However, one player on his way out of the club is Oliver Torres. The 19-year-old attacking midfielder joins Villarreal until the end of the season.

 

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Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Bordeaux: Ibrahimovic & Alex send champions six points clear

Paris Saint-Germain moved six points clear at the top of Ligue 1 with a 2-0 victory over Bordeaux on Friday night.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic made the breakthrough just before the hour mark and Alex sealed victory for the home side with two minutes to go.

Laurent Blanc's men, who were held to a disappointing draw by Guingamp last weekend, knew defeat on Friday would give second-placed Monaco, in action against Lorient on Sunday, the chance to draw level at the top of the table.

The defending champions struggled to break down a Bordeaux side that would have moved into fourth with a win, but ultimately prevailed thanks to their perseverance and patience.

New signing Yohan Cabaye was left on the PSG bench following his move from Newcastle United, while Thiago Silva returned to the starting XI after missing the draw with Guingamp through injury.

Julien Faubert came in for Bordeaux, who named former PSG striker Guillaume Hoarau among their substitutes.

PSG dictated play from the start and were unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty inside the first five minutes when Carlos Henrique appeared to haul down Ibrahimovic in the area.

Goalscoring opportunities proved rare for the remainder of the half, Edinson Cavani heading over after 12 minutes as the hosts laboured to try to find a breakthrough.

Bordeaux's produced a stern defensive effort up until half-time, but the visitors' resistance was broken by Ibrahimovic.

The Sweden international was handed the simple task of tapping in from point-blank range following good work down the right from Lucas, who delivered a pinpoint cross for Ibrahimovic to score his 29th goal of the campaign.

Blanc's side came close to doubling their advantage minutes later as Javier Pastore's drilled effort was well saved by Cedric Carasso.

Pastore was replaced shortly after that chance, the Argentina international making way for Cabaye to make his debut after 68 minutes.

PSG suffered a blow only seven minutes later as Cavani limped off to be replaced by Ezequiel Lavezzi.

Cabaye almost marked his PSG bow with a goal as he headed against the post from a Ibrahimovic cross, but PSG did make sure of the points with two minutes remaining, Alex volleying home Lucas’ corner at the near post.

 

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Eintracht Braunschweig 1-2 Borussia Dortmund: Aubameyang double for Die Schwarzgelben

Borussia Dortmund got back to winning ways in the Bundesliga by defeating Eintracht Braunschweig 2-1 on Friday night.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave the visitors the lead in the 31st minute following excellent work from Marco Reus and Robert Lewandowski, only to see Benjamin Kessel level matters from a corner in the 54th minute.

But it was Aubameyang who had the final say, planting a finish low into the net after more superb approach play from the influential Reus to end Dortmund's run of four Bundesliga games without a win.

The loss leaves the hosts rooted to the foot of the table following a 13th defeat in 19 league games.

Braunschweig made one change as Jan Hochscheidt returned in place of Marc Pfitzner, while Dortmund's line-up showed two alterations from their 2-2 draw with Augsburg.

Mats Hummels made his long-awaited return from the ankle injury he picked up in November, and Aubameyang came in for Jakub Blaszczykowski, who is set for a lengthy absence after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament last time out.

After a cagey start to proceedings, the hosts enjoyed some good fortune in the 12th minute when Omar Elabdellaoui appeared to handle inside his own area, but Dortmund's appeals for a penalty were waved away.

Braunschweig fashioned the first real chance five minutes later when Kessel headed over the crossbar from six yards.

The visitors threatened for the first time in the 28th minute, Daniel Davari scrambling across his goal to keep out Nuri Sahin's curling free-kick from the edge of the area.

And Dortmund got the breakthrough when Aubameyang nodded into an empty net from two yards out following a slick one-two between Lewandowski and Reus, the former chipping the ball over the advancing Davari to leave his team-mate with the simplest of tasks.

Aubameyang was denied a second four minutes before the interval when the linesman incorrectly raised his flag, after the striker had converted another Lewandowski assist from close range.

Dortmund continued to look dangerous after the break, Reus bursting through only to be denied by Davari in the 48th minute.

They were made to pay for that miss six minutes later as Kessel got on the end of Hochscheidt's low corner to prod the ball beyond Roman Weidenfeller from six yards.

Parity lasted just 11 minutes, however, as Reus embarked on a surging run from midfield before slipping the ball into Aubameyang, who drilled in his 11th league goal of the campaign.

Reus almost found the net himself with 20 minutes remaining, but Davari managed to tip his 30-yard free-kick onto the bar and behind for a corner.

The German international was having an increased impact on the game and once again linked up to good effect with Lewandowski in the 75th minute, but the Poland international was denied by a last-ditch block with the goal at his mercy before Reus was again denied by the legs of Davari.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan struck the post from inside the box late on, while the hosts were also denied by the woodwork in stoppage time, Ermin Bicakcic almost stealing a point for the underdogs.

 

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Berbatov joins Monaco on loan

Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov has joined Monaco on loan until the end of the season.

Claudio Ranieri's men beat off competition from Tottenham to sign the 33-year-old on a busy day of transfer activity for the west Londoners.

"I am both happy, excited and a little nervous to be honest I can not wait to start training with my new club and begin a new chapter in my career," he told Monaco's official website.

The Ligue 1 side moved for the former Manchester United man with star striker Radamel Falcao ruled out for the rest of the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament.

Monaco vice president Vadim Vasilyev added: "Dimitar will bring us all his experience and talent. His arrival is of course connected to Radamel Falcao's injury.

"He played in big clubs such as Manchester United and he's a big striker.

"We still have two competitions to play and he will be an asset with Emmanuel Riviere, Valere Germain and Anthony Martial. He has a different profile than our other forwards."

Berbatov, whose Fulham contract expires at the end of the season, has scored five goals in 19 appearances for the Cottagers this campaign.

He leaves the club lying 19th in the Premier League, just a point above bottom side Cardiff.

 

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Ince and Ledley join Crystal Palace

Blackpool winger Tom Ince has moved to Crystal Palace on loan until the end of the season, while Celtic midfielder Joe Ledley has joined on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

As reported by Goal earlier in January, England Under-21s international Ince - who had been granted permission to talk with clubs after his father, Paul, was dismissed by the Seasiders - was wanted by a host of Premier League sides, including Palace.

And it is the south Londoners who have won the race for his signature, paying a hefty loan fee for the privilege with Ince unwilling to make a permanent switch as his contract, due to expire in the summer, runs down.

Blackpool, who have received Stephen Dobbie on loan in return as part of the deal, thanked Ince for his contribution since joining from Liverpool in 2011, having scored 31 goals in 100 Championship appearances.

A statement read: "Thomas Ince has left Blackpool and joined Crystal Palace on loan until the end of the season. The winger had been granted permission to speak to Premier League clubs this week and has joined the Eagles on deadline day.

"Blackpool would like to thank Thomas for his efforts and wish him the best of luck in the future."
Ledley, meanwhile, has been a key part of a Celtic side who have raced to an 18-point lead in the Scottish Premiership and the midfielder, who boasts Champions League experience, signs for an undisclosed fee.

The pair join three further signings, Jason Puncheon, Wayne Hennessey and Scott Dann, on what has been a busy and productive deadline day for Tony Pulis.

 

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Ince ganan issuwa wadi okai une

 

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Matuidi: I'm close to signing new PSG deal

Blaise Matuidi has calmed Paris Saint-Germain fans' fears that he might leave in the summer by insisting he will soon sign a new contract.

As things stand, the midfielder - whom Arsenal were interested in signing during the winter transfer window - will be a free agent at the end of the season.

However, Matuidi, speaking after the reigning Ligue 1 champions' 2-0 win over Bordeaux on Friday, has now confirmed his desire to remain at the Parc des Princes.

"I am very happy here," the 26-year-old told Canal Plus. "The new contract will happen soon - do not worry."

January signing Yohan Cabaye came off the bench to make his debut for les Parisiens in Friday's hard-fought victory but Matuidi says he has no qualms about vying with for a midfielder spot with another top-class performer.

"Having competition is the sign of a great club and it will help the team," the France international added.

"Cabaye has had a very good debut. He quickly adapted. He is a very good player - a player who will be good for PSG and for Ligue 1."

Laurent Blanc's side lead the French top tier by six points over second-placed Monaco having played a game more, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alex having netted second-half goals in the victory over Bordeaux.

 

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Monaco sign Abdennour on loan

Monaco have signed Toulouse defender Aymen Abdennour on loan with a view to a permanent move in the summer.The Tunisia international has signed a deal until the end of the season with the Ligue 1 title challengers, who will then have the option to sign the 24-year-old on a four-year contract.

Abdennour has made 82 appearances for Toulouse, earning a reputation as one of the more talented defenders in the French game, and the centre-back, who can also operate on the left side of the defence, was quick to express his delight at securing a move to the Stade Louis II.

"I am very proud, Monaco are a great club, very professional, with excellent staff, great players and great ambition," he told their official website."I am ready to help my team-mates. I will do everything to succeed. We have a special purpose."

Abdennour follows in the deadline-day footsteps of Dimitar Berbatov, who has joined on loan from Fulham for the remainder of the 2013-14 campaign.

 

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Weidenfeller admits 'dirty' Dortmund victory over Braunschweig

Roman Weidenfeller admitted it was not a vintage performance from Borussia Dortmund in their 2-1 victory over Eintracht Braunschweig on Friday night.

A double from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang earned Die Schwarzgelben their first win in five Bundesliga games.

The result leaves Torsten Lieberknecht's men rooted to the bottom of the table, while BVB move into the top three, but the Dortmund goalkeeper acknowledged that they can play a lot better.

"It was a dirty victory, but we can build on the performance," the Germany international told his club's official website.

"We won, and that's the important thing. Braunschweig raised their performance with all their might in the defeat.

"We still have a lot to improve and have lapses of concentration when errors creep in. We have to work."

The game saw the return of defender Mats Hummels, who had not played since suffering an ankle injury back in November, and Weidenfeller stressed the importance of the Germany international to the club.

"He is very important. Mats is a crucial part of our team. With him we were able to play much better balls out from the back," he continued.

Weidenfeller also said that goalscorer Aubameyang has added another dimension to the Dortmund attack since his arrival from Saint-Etienne last summer.

"His pace and directness is very important to us. In the previous games, we have played too many crossfield balls," he argued.

 

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Liverpool fail to reach deal for Konoplyanka

Liverpool have failed in their attempts to sign Ukraine forward Yevhen Konoplyanka, Goal understands.

The Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk star underwent a medical ahead of a potential transfer but the Reds were unable to agree a fee and payment structure with his club.

Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre flew out to Ukraine to broker the deal earlier in the week, but was unable to find a breakthrough before Friday, setting up tense deadline-day negotiations.

The Reds were locked in talks with the Ukrainian club throughout Friday, but Oliver Cabrera, one of the key figures working on the deal, told Goal that an agreement was "very unlikely" early in the afternoon.

The player was understood to be very keen on a move to Anfield, but the Merseysiders and the player's camp were frustrated by Dnipro's negotiating tactics.

"We have a very good relationship with the president Kolomoyskyi and he doesn't want to sell the player," Cabrera, who owns the agency Konoplyanka is signed to, told Goal.

"Yehven and his father respect that so a move is very unlikely."

Despite an agreement looking unlikely as the 23:00 deadline approached, Liverpool remained positive that they would be able to finally agree terms, but their hopes were dashed as Dnipro stood firm.The Merseysiders were desperate to force the move through after being gazumped by Chelsea in their attempts to sign Mohamed Salah from Basel.

Brendan Rodgers had previously made his annoyance known at missing out on Salah, and the failure to land Konoplankya will come as a further blow.

 

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Valencia sign Senderos & Araujo

Valencia have announced the signings of Philippe Senderos and Vinicius Araujo, as well as the departure of Ever Banega.

Swiss international Senderos arrives at Mestalla from Fulham on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee, while Araujo, a 20-year-old striker, has joined Los Che from Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro on a free transfer.

Banega, though, is returning to his native Argentina to spend the rest of the season with Newell's Old Boys.

Former Arsenal defender Senderos had loan spells with AC Milan and Everton while still at the Emirates Stadium, before moving to Fulham in 2010.

"The club would like to thank Philippe for his service and wish him well for the future," read a Cottagers statement.

Senderos and Araujo are not the only new faces at Mestalla this week. Earlier on Friday they sold Sergio Canales to fellow La Liga outfit Real Sociedad, one day after announcing the arrival of Seydou Keita from Dalian Aerbin.

 

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Carrick returns for Manchester United but Nani out for a month

Manchester United are set to welcome Michael Carrick back into the squad to face Stoke City on Saturday but will be without Nani for a further month.

An ankle injury kept the England international out of the Red Devils' Tuesday win over Cardiff City but David Moyes expects him to be available, pending a final check before the match.

Portuguese winger Nani, however, may have been unable to seal a move away in the January transfer window but will continue to be out due to a hamstring problem.

"Nani has had a bad hamstring injury," Moyes told the club's official website. "He's getting closer now but I think it will be another month until he will be about ready to play.

"Carrick is improving with his ankle and has got a good chance of being in the squad [against Stoke]. He's improving and has done some training. We'll just check to see if he can twist and turn correctly before we make a decision."

Another name back in the matchday reckoning is Rio Ferdinand. The veteran defender has struggled for form in 2013-14 but Moyes is delighted with his input both on and off the pitch.

"Rio is back in training and in the squad as well," the Scot added.

"I'll continue to use Rio at the right times when we think we can play him. He has made a great contribution, especially in the first half of the season. He played a big part in helping me settle and get my feet under the table a little bit.

"He's got competition for places at centre-half but he is very much valued and looked at as one of the senior players here."