Football news

It seems that Juventus are ready to part with prized asset Sebastian Giovinco as part of a lucrative package to lure Sampdoria captain Antonio Cassano to their fold.

Media reports suggested Juve were also ready to let Sergio Almiron, currently on loan at Fiorentina, go the other way along with €9m cash to sign former Real forward Cassano this summer.

Juve could face competition from Inter for the race for Cassano, however, as the Italy champions are set to offer around €19m and players to get their man.

Giovinco is hot property on the transfer market and the willingness to part with him before he has truly developed his potential suggests just how much Juventus want Cassano, also linked with a move to Arsenal this year.

Hiddink rejects 'dirty tricks' claims

Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink has hit out at claims Chelsea used "dirty tricks" to secure last week's goalless draw with Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.

The Spaniards voiced criticism of what they saw as an overly physical approach to the encounter but Hiddink has no intention of apologising.

"It was a man's match," he said.

"There were some collisions, but from either side. They were controlling and dominating the game and I'd have liked to have had some more initiatives, but they controlled it.

"We didn't want to play 'anti-football'. But we were not able to start a good attacking game in Barcelona. We don't like to allow them to take the victory... this team has the character to fight as well."

Everton set to get cash windfall

Everton boss David Moyes can hope for additional funds to strengthen his squad this summer after the club signed a new merchandising deal worth 32 million pounds over ten years.

The agreement with online sports retailers Kitbag is the biggest commercial contract in the club's history.

Kitbag takes over responsibility for merchandising Everton kit and other products and for running the club's online store from troubled British retailer JJB Sports from the start of next season.

As part of the deal, Everton will stop wearing Umbro shirts after their appearance in the FA Cup final on May 30 and will switch to the Le Coq Sportif brand from the start of next season.

Kroenke increases Arsenal stake

US sports tycoon Stan Kroenke has increased his stake in English Premier League club Arsenal to 28.3 per cent to become the club's biggest shareholder.

Arsenal said Kroenke, who joined the club's board last year, had bought 4,839 shares from members of director Richard Carr's family.

He paid more than 41 million pounds for the shares having purchased them for between 8,500 and 10,500 pounds each. The prices paid value the club at over 525 million pounds.

Kroenke has leapfrogged Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who was the largest shareholder with about 25 per cent, and British media, including the Financial Times, said the prospect of a contested takeover for the club had edged closer.

Barca keen on signing Forlan

Barcelona are interested in signing Atletico Madrid's Uruguayan inernational striker Diego Forlan as a replacement for the possible departures of Cameroon international Samuel Eto'o and Frenchman Thierry Henry according to Marca yesterday.

Forlan, 29 and contracted to Atletico till 2011, would cost Barcelona 36 million euros according to a clause in his contract.

The former Manchester United striker, scorer of 23 goals this season and the leading scorer in the 2005 season, joined Atletico for 21million euros from Villarreal in 2007.

B. Munich show Van Gaal interest

Bayern Munich team manager Uli Hoeness revealed yesterday Louis van Gaal, who won this season's Dutch championship with AZ Alkmaar, is one of Bayern Munich's targets to replace Juergen Klinsmann.

Ex-Germany coach Klinsmann was sacked as head coach of Bayern last Monday after just ten months in charge and 57-year-old's Van Gaal's name - along with fellow Dutchmen Martin Jol and Frank Rijkaard - has already been linked to the vacancy.

"Van Gaal is one of the candidates we are interested in," Hoeness said before adding there is a list of possible candidates Bayern's bosses want to have coach their side.

Gerrard considered Chelsea move

Steven Gerrard said he was on the verge of moving to Chelsea in 2005 as he felt Liverpool were lagging behind the other front-runners and lacked resources to challenge for the honours.

However, Gerrard, 28, stayed at Anfield and was instrumental in leading his team's charge to the top echelons of the Premiership.

Gerrard said: "The reason the whole Chelsea thing came up was down to frustration that we were so far away from the title race. That's why their interest maybe turned my head slightly.

"But I look back now and I'm really pleased I decided to stay because it would mean an awful lot more to be successful at Liverpool than it would at any other club."