Football news

David Beckham said he wanted to stay at Real Madrid for another three years and regretted choosing to move to the US to continue his career in the MLS. Beckham decided to leave Spain after he was told that Real did not intend to renew his contract in January.

After an impressive second half to the campaign, club president Ramon Calderon stated that he had made a mistake in allowing Beckham to leave.

"I felt capable of staying for longer at Real Madrid," Beckham said.

"I think I could have still played for three more seasons at the highest level, but as the club told me in January that they did not want to renew my contract I took this decision."

Right-back Sagna for Arsenal

Reports from France yesterday suggested that right-back Bakari Sagna will complete his move from Auxerre to Arsenal today. Sagna has already had a medical at the Emirates Stadium.

A five-year year deal is purported to have been agreed, after the two clubs concurred on a fee in the region of £6 million.

Sagna arrives with a growing reputation in his homeland, having been drafted into Raymond Domenech's France squad, although he has yet to win his first cap.

Roma complete Barusso move

Highly-rated Ahmed Barusso has joined Roma. The likes of Milan and Inter held a strong interest in the 22-year-old but the Olympic Stadium outfit have now won the race for his signature after reaching an agreement with his club Rimini.

Barusso, who is close to making his recovery from a double broken leg, has agreed on a five-year deal with Roma who will pay £2.4 million for the Ghana midfielder.

'Maxi' on loan at Sporting

Maxi Lopez will move on loan to Sporting Lisbon. The Argentine striker opted to leave Barcelona after finding that there is no room for him at the Nou Camp.

A deal was wrapped up after a meeting between Barca's vice-president, Ferran Soriano, the technical secretary, Txiki Beguiristain, and Maxi's agents.

With Barca adding Thierry Henry to their front line and with youngster Bojan Krkic looking set to be promoted from the reserves team, the 23-year-old Maxi realised his chances of playing were limited.

Thaksin ordered to appear for trial

A Thai court has ordered ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the new owner of English club Manchester City, to appear for a corruption trial on Aug. 14.

A panel of nine Supreme Court judges agreed to proceed with charges summarised as "misconduct of a government official and violation of a ban on state officials being party to transactions involving public interests".

If convicted, Thaksin, who lives in exile with his wife, could face up to 10 years in jail, chief prosecutor Seksan Bangsomboon said.

Thaksin and his wife have denied the charges. He has said he would not return until democracy was restored as he could not get a fair trial under a military-appointed government.

Derby show interest in Kallon

Mohamed Kallon is mulling a move to Derby County. The Sierra Leone captain is also being tracked by Middlesbrough, Wigan and Fulham as he is interested in continuing his career in England.

"I can confirm that Derby have approached my club Monaco as they are keen for me to move to the Premier League," Kallon, 27, said.

"So far, I'm yet to respond but I do find the opportunity of playing in the Premier League in future attractive."

Kallon still has six months remaining on his four-year contract with Monaco.

Boulahrouz on his way out

Khalid Boulahrouz is set to leave Stamford Bridge after failing to join the club's pre-season tour of the United States.

The 25-year-old defender joined Chelsea last summer for around £7m but fell out of favour and has played only four times since January in the Premier League.

La Liga's Sevilla are among the clubs interested in signing Chelsea's Dutchman.

Zampagna in drink driving case

Riccardo Zampagna, the Atalanta striker, is facing a court case after hitting a moped while drink driving. The 32-year-old was driving back from a party organised by Atalanta supporters when he collided with a woman as she turned a corner.

Although she suffered only minor injuries and has fully recovered, the incident could come back to haunt Zampagna as he awaits a court appearance having failed a breathalyser test.

It remains to be seen whether Atalanta will take any disciplinary action against Zampagna.

Fiorentina eyeing Rossi

Fiorentina are expected to table a bid for Manchester United's Giuseppe Rossi. After selling Luca Toni to Bayern Munich for £7.5m, Fiorentina have been searching for a new goal-getter before the new campaign gets underway.

Rossi has become a wanted man since spending an impressive spell on loan to Parma last season. Parma have also expressed their intention to sign Rossi but now it seems Fiorentina are ready to invest heavily in the 20-year-old.

Reports said Fiorentina are ready to offer £8m with Rossi netting around £800,000 per season as a starting salary.