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Juventus have signed Brazilian striker Amauri from Palermo and sold Italian midfielder Antonio Nocerino to the Sicilians, the Serie A clubs said on Friday.
“Amauri belongs to Juventus,” said Juve’s Web site (www.juventus.com), ending weeks of speculation. “Today the Brazilian forward signed a four-year contract.”
Amauri, who is acquiring an Italian passport, scored 15 league goals last season and was much in demand, with AC Milan and clubs in England also interested.
Juventus were always front runners to sign the 27-year-old but a complicated transfer has taken weeks to conclude.
They will pay 22.8 million euros while Palermo will spend 7.5 million euros on the gritty Nocerino, who has one Italy cap and has also agreed a four-year deal.
“When I came to Italy eight years ago, it was my dream to play in a big club. Today it came true,” Amauri told a news conference.
Amauri is expected to be one of four Juventus strikers next season. The Turin club are in the Champions League qualifiers following their third-placed finish in Serie A.
Juve striker Alessandro Del Piero was the league’s top scorer with 21 goals with team mate David Trezeguet on 20.
Vincenzo Iaquinta, who missed out on Italy’s Euro 2008 campaign through injury, is the other out-and-out striker on Juve’s books but media reports have linked him with a move away.
Palermo director of sport Rino Foschi said he expected Juventus’s Italy Under-21 striker Davide Lanzafame, who was on loan at second division Bari last season and had been linked to West Ham United, to move to the Sicilian club in July.
Palermo have also signed playmaker Fabio Liverani, a free agent after his contract with Fiorentina expired this month, on a three-year deal, they said their Web site (www.ilpalermocalcio.it).
Fenerbahçe today claimed they have agreed a deal with Newcastle to sign the Turkey international Emre Belözo?lu for a fee in the region of £4m. The midfielder, 27, who is currently preparing for Euro 2008, is expected to sign a three-year contract early next week.
In a statement the club said: “Fenerbahçe reached an agreement with Newcastle United in order to sign the Turkish superstar Emre Belözo?lu.”
Turkish television station NTV reported that Fener will pay Emre a salary of around £2.8m per year.
Carlo Ancelotti has been propelled to favourite to land the £6million-a-year manager’s job at Chelsea.
The Daily Express claims that the AC Milan boss has been offered the job and owner Roman Abramovich has made Ancelotti his personal No1 choice.
Even though no one has yet been offered the job, nor has a decision been made, but clearly Ancelotti has emerged as the favourite to succeed Avram Grant, with Blackburn boss Mark Hughes a close second.
Abramovich would also like Gianfranco Zola to return to the Bridge as Ancelotti’s No2 after the sacking of Grant’s assistant, Henk ten Cate, yesterday. The former Ajax coach had been at the club for only seven months .
The race to become the new manager of Chelsea took a fresh twist last night when sources in Italy claimed that AC Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti had been offered the £6million-a-year job.
Ancelotti is believed to be a favourite of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and will be tempted not only by the huge salary on offer but by the transfer war chest the Russian can offer and guaranteed Champions League football.
AC Milan finished fifth in Serie A, which means that they will be out of the Champions League for only the second time in the past decade, which may convince Ancelotti to move on.
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon would prefer to interview several candidates, with Blackburn boss Mark Hughes also a front runner.
They will face fierce competition from Manchester City, though. City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has also targeted Hughes as a potential successor to Sven-Goran Eriksson, who is expected to be axed in the next 24 hours.
Hughes is the most highly rated young British-born boss in the Premier League and a former team-mate of Gianfranco Zola, the man Abramovich is courting as a No2.
Hughes, 44, has told friends he does not want to become a pawn in any political power games at Chelsea – but is keen if the terms are right.
Shinawatra is willing to pay big money for the right man – though not perhaps in Chelsea’s league – and has also targeted Luiz Felipe Scolari and Roberto Mancini, who left Inter Milan yesterday.
Jose Mourinho is expected to be unveiled as Inter Milan’s new coach early next week.
Football Italia has revealed that Jose Mourinho will sign a contract with Inter Milan on Monday follwong a protracted absence from football. Mourinho has been without a job since leaving Chelsea early this year but now he looks set to get back into football management and Inter is the team to offer him a deal.
Football Italia has also revealed that Jose Mourinho sent a text message to Chelsea player Michel Essien telling him about the contract which he will “sign on Monday.” The Special One then added that he hoped Essien would one day join him at the San Siro.
Massimo Moratti wanted to hire Mourinho because of his Champions League experience due to Mancini’s inability to produce results on the European stage. The Inter boss is desperate to with the prestigious competition and believes that the former Chelsea boss is the one to take his team there.
AS Roma retained the Italian Cup after a 2-1 victory over Champions Inter Milan at the Stadio Olimpico here on Saturday to gain revenge for their defeat in the Serie A title race.
Goals from French centre-back Philippe Mexes and Italy midfielder Simone Perrotta sealed a ninth cup success, making them the most successful team in Italian cup history, alongside Juventus.
Inter substitute Vitor Pele scored a goal that even his more illustrious namesake - the Brazilian legend who won three World Cups - would have been proud of with a stunning 30-yard volley into the top corner that left Roma’s Brazilian goalkeeper Doni rooted to the spot.
The two sides have contested the last four cup finals and Roma squared the recent mini-series following Inter’s victories in 2005 and 2006.
The defeat, which could be Inter coach Roberto Mancini’s last in charge of the nerazzurri if Italian press reports are to be believed, denied him an incredible 11th cup success as a player and coach.
Roma were clearly the more hyped of the teams from the off as they looked to make up for last weekend’s Scudetto disappointment.
Inter had the first shot on target through Serbian midfielder Dejan Stankovic but most of the action happened at the other end of the field.
French winger Ludovic Giuly was wildly off target when well placed and Perrotta had a shot blocked by Romanian centre-back Cristian Chivu.
But Roma took the lead on 35 minutes through a clever corner routine that caught Inter napping.
Chile midfielder David Pizarro crossed to the near post and Mexes timed his run perfectly before flicking the ball into the roof of the net.
At this point Inter - who were being cheered on by just a few thousand of their fans, leaving an entire end almost empty in the stadium - seemed barely interested.
And they fell two behind just after the restart as Perrotta ran at the heart of a defence that was backing off and played a one-two with Montenegro striker Mirko Vucinic before slotting into an empty goal with Inter’s veteran second-choice goalkeeper Francesco Toldo drawn out of position.
Inter were furious as they thought their Brazilian midfielder Cesar had been fouled in the build up.
That finally sparked them into life and Portuguese midfielder Pele’s thunderbolt got them right back in the match.
Inter almost equalised moments later but Argentine centre-back Nicolas Burdisso’s header came back off the post.
Inter threw everything but the kitchen sink at Roma after that but created nothing to suggest they might score. Tellingly, though, their players hardly looked upset at the finish.
Thanks Avram, but no thanks
Avram Grant has been sacked by Chelsea after just eight months in charge. Speculation was rife after they lost to Manchester United on Wednesday night. Peter Kenyon who famously left United for Chelsea broke the news today.
The Israeli lead Chelsea to a hat-trick of runners up in the Premier League, the Champions League and the Carling Cup. Despite missing key players for half the season. His record was nothing short of sensational, losing only 5 from 54 games in all competitions. Grant did receive criticism for his lack of charisma and style of play on the pitch.
A statement on the Chelsea website said the search for a new coach had begun and that the club will make no further comment.
The statement also said: “Chelsea Football Club can confirm that Avram Grant has had his contract as manager terminated today. This follows meetings over the last two days.
“Everybody at Chelsea FC would like to thank Avram for his contribution since taking over as manager last September.
“We will now be concentrating all our efforts on identifying a new manager for Chelsea and there will be no further comment until that appointment is made.”
Frank Rijkaard, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Brian Laudrup and Roberto Mancini have all been mentioned.
The fates wanted Manchester United to win. This is the line most Chelsea fans, and even some Man U fans, will have on their lips after United won the the 2007-08 Champions League title on penalties in Moscow. Sir Alex’s second Champions League title, coming fifty years after the Munich air crash, sees United complete the double, with Roman’s Chelsea ending the season empty handed.
Cristiano Ronaldo, whose future at the club seems uncertain after papers linked him with a move to Spain, gave United the lead in the first ever all English Champions League final when he connected with Wes Brown’s cross to score his 42nd goal of the season.
In the 34th minute, Chelsea were almost granted a bizarre equaliser, but Edwin Van Der Sar ensured that United kept their one goal advantage.
Carlos Tevez had two great opportunities to double United’s lead, but both were unfortunately not converted. One was thanks to a stunning effort from Petr Cech, whose one handed save denied the Argentine after United had orchestrated an attack that left Chelsea thoroughly exposed. Cech even recovered to stop Michael Carrick’s followup effort.
In the 43rd minute Wayne Rooney sent in a low cross which Tevez was unable to slide in, with the ball evading his outstretched boot.
But Chelsea hit back just before the break, with Frank Lampard bringing the tie back on level terms. Michael Essien’s shot, which could be described as hopeful looking at best, took deflections off Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, and landed in the path of Lampard, who coolly slotted it home.
Both the teams chose to make no change at half time. If the first half belonged to United, Chelsea were the better team in the second half. Florent Malouda had a penalty appeal turned down by Slovakian referee Lubos Michel, and Didier Drogba’s superb 20 yard shot had Van der Sar beaten, but the post saved United.
Ryan Giggs broke Bobby Charlton’s record for all time United appearances when he replaced Paul Scholes in the 87th minute. The match stayed at 1-1 after 90 minutes, and Giggs nearly scored the winner in the fourth minute of extra time, but Chelsea skipper John Terry somehow got his head in the way.
Didier Drogba was sent off for tapping Vidic in the face in the 116th minute, and Chelsea were reduced to 10 men. In the Russian capital of Moscow and in the presence of oil tycoon Roman Abramovich, the result had to be decided by football’s version of Russian roulette- the penalty shootout.
Tevez scored
Ballack scored
Carrick scored
Beletti scored
Ronaldo missed
Lampard scored
Hargreaves scored
Ashley Cole scored
Nani scored
With the tie at 4-4, John Terry slipped in his run up, and his penalty hit the upright.
United had an escape route. The stuff finals are made of- right ? If you missed this, watch live football.
Giggs scored
Nicolas Anelka missed
And United won 6-5 on penalties.
Cruel for Terry, Grant and Roman, but that is the way football goes.
Congratulations Manchester United.
If you were unable to catch this, then a click here might interest you.
2nd title for EVDS- his last one was with Ajax in 1995.
A rare shootout win for Ferguson.
Third win for United in the CL- Benfica, Bayern and Chelsea.
Liverpool target Albert Riera has revealed he is desperate to quit Espanyol.
The £6million-rated Spanish winger is being chased by Kop boss Rafa Benitez.
And Riera has accelerated his exit by slamming the criticism aimed at the club’s players.
He said: “I want to leave Espanyol. I do not want to be part of a club that does not take care of or protect its players.
“I do not know if I will go to Liverpool or some other team. I am staying hopeful and I would really like everything sorted out within the next two weeks.
“It would be best for everyone concerned because I know that my transfer would clearly be beneficial. I do not want to cause any problems.
“I don’t want to be at a club where the supporters have no love for the players, or where it depends on whether the team qualifies for Europe or not.”
Riera’s move to Anfield could be thrown into doubt after it was revealed he has a £16million release clause in his contract.
Sporting director Paco Herrera, a former Liverpool coach, said: “If he says he is going to go then he has more information than his club – he must know that there is an interested club who will pay the amount of money needed.”
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will stick with the London club - and intends to prise Kaka away from AC Milan, it has been revealed.
DiarioSport says Abramovich has told close friends he will continue to pump his millions into Chelsea, despite Wednesday’s glorious Champions League failure. And he sees Kaka as the man to deliver the changes he wants to bring to the Blues next season.
Roberto Mancini, Inter Milan’s coach, is the man Abramovich wants to take charge next season. However, football chief Frank Arnesen is under pressure, according to sources.
Tottenham boss Juande Ramos is switching his attentions from Samuel Eto’o to Barcelona teammate Thierry Henry, according to a local Spanish cabbie!
Onda Cero’s ‘Ona esportiva’ reported yesterday claims from a taxi driver, known as ‘Miguel’, who took Ramos around Barcelona that he was discussing his transfer plans on his mobile phone during the journey.
During the trip, Ramos held two conversations via his mobile phone.
In the first, he said loudly: “Eto’o, impossible. Now we will go for Henry.”
In the second, he expressed his intention to sign a central defender and a left winger, and noted the names of Dani Jarque, the Espanyol defender, and Valencia midfielder David Silva.
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