Football news

Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson said Mark Hughes's appointment as Manchester City manager will not keep him at the Premier League team.

"I want to leave the club. I said that before, and the arrival of Mark Hughes will make no difference," said Isaksson. "I will not be fighting for my place or talking to the new manager about changing my mind."

Isaksson told Reuters he was a free agent but City said he had one year left on the contract he signed in 2006.

Media reports in Sweden and England have linked Isaksson with a move to Premier League Fulham but he said he had not spoken to any clubs and was focusing strictly on Euro 2008.

'I'll go for the right price' - Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Manchester United has taken a new twist after the winger was reported as saying he would like to play for Real Madrid.

Real have been tracking Ronaldo, 23, despite being warned off by United manager Alex Ferguson.

"I'd like to play for Real Madrid but only if it's true they are ready to pay what Manchester United ask of them," he told reporters from Brazil.

"However, it does not depend on me," said the Portuguese midfielder.

"I'll only talk about this again after the European Championships," added Ronaldo.

"Don't ask me any questions because I won't answer."

Barca agree to sell Giovani to Spurs

Barcelona have agreed to sell Mexican forward Giovani dos Santos to Tottenham Hotspur, the Primera Liga club said yesterday.

The 19-year-old will sign a five-year contract in a deal worth six million euros, plus a further five based on appearances.

Barca will retain 20 per cent of the player's rights in case of a sale in the next two years, dropping to 10 per cent after that time.

Giovani, who usually plays on the wing, came up through the Barca youth ranks and broke into the first team under Frank Rijkaard last season. He made 10 league starts and scored three goals in the campaign.

CSKA in anxious wait

The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) will decide at the end of June whether to expel CSKA Sofia from top-flight soccer for failing to meet its licensing criteria.

CSKA lost their place in next season's Champions League on Thursday and now face the possibility of being banished to the country's amateur third division.

CSKA won their 31st league title a month ago but failed to meet the BFU's licensing criteria because of debts to the state and creditors. CSKA, Bulgaria's most successful club, is still hoping to avoid the unprecedented domestic drop.

The club said in a statement it had undertaken real moves to redeem the club's debts.

Hleb meets Barca representatives

Alexander Hleb has met representatives from Barcelona with a view to joining the Primera Liga club, according to the player's agent.

"We have had talks with Barcelona but nothing has been signed," agent Uli Ferber said.

The Arsenal midfielder, 27, will make a final decision on his future when he comes back from holiday next week. Hleb has had discussions with the Gunners but it appears unlikely he will turn out for the Londoners next season.

The Belarus international had been strongly linked with a move to Inter but the Serie A club's appointment of Jose Mourinho appears to have ended that possibility.

Croatia's Simic eyes 100th cap

Croatia defender Dario Simic said he was hoping to win his 100th cap during a run to the knockout stages at Euro 2008.

The 32-year-old central defender, who faces a battle for a place in the starting line-up, said he was exceptionally proud of 98 appearances for a country where soccer "means everything to so many people."

"It is a great honour to play for Croatia 98 times and I will be delighted if I reach the 100 caps milestone during the tournament," he told reporters. Simic is the only player in the current 23 who was in the squad that finished third in the 1998 World Cup.

Di Natale wanted by Wolfsburg

Antonio Di Natale is the latest Serie A player to be tempted by a move to Wolfsburg. The German outfit have already signed Palermo defenders Andrea Barzagli and Cristian Zaccardo and have reportedly been eyeing Udinese hitman Di Natale these past few weeks.

After his brace against Belgium in Italy's final pre-Euro 2008 friendly, Di Natale has a good chance of starting against Holland on Monday.

Volkswagen-sponsored Wolfsburg are believed to have a vast sum of money waiting for Di Natale and could make an offer Udinese would find hard to refuse even though the northeasterns have constantly insisted that Di Natale is not for sale at any price.