Football news

Newcastle quashed speculation that Joe Kinnear would be returning as their manager next season, saying there are no immediate plans for him to get back the job he had to relinquish for health problems last season.

Reports in the media suggested that the 62-year-old was poised to resume at the helm as efforts to sell the club continue.

Newcastle said: "Reports that Joe Kinnear is to be appointed as Newcastle manager are not true. The position remains that the club is still in the market to be sold and is still negotiating with prospective buyers."

Kinnear took charge at St James' Park in September last year but after surgery in February, he was told he could not resume work before the end of the campaign.

Blackburn extend Vieri's trial period

Blackburn Rovers have decided to extend Christian Vieri's trial period at Ewood Park after leaving a good impression in a pre-season training camp in Austria.

Manager Sam Allardyce said Vieri, 36, will be in the squad for Rovers' tour of Italy this month.

"We'll see how long he wants to give it to see if he can get to Premier League level," Allardyce said.

"We'll take as long as it needs, hopefully to get there in the end."

Vieri had originally tried to earn a place in a Brazilian club side, but was turned down by Flamengo and Fluminense.

Burnley sign Scottish star Easton

Highly-regarded Scotland U-21 international Brian Easton became promoted Premier League side Burnley's fourth signing of the close season when he moved from Hamilton for £350,000.

The 21-year-old defender played over 100 times for the Scottish Premier League outfit after first appearing for them aged just 18.

Easton joins Canadian David Edgar - who arrived on a free transfer from Newcastle - club record £3 million signing Scotland international Steven Fletcher and defender Tyrone Mears, who cost £500,000 as Burnley's new recruits.

Nakamura to break language barrier

Shunsuke Nakamura will not have to worry about being lost in translation at his new club Espanyol because he will have no interpreter at his side. Despite his minimal knowledge of Spanish, the Barcelona club have decided not to assign a translator to the 31-year-old former Celtic playmaker.

"We want him to get accustomed to the environment as soon as possible," Espanyol manager Mauricio Pochettino said.

Nakamura is known to have tried studying Spanish before and now he will try to master the tongue under a tutor.

It is the first time that Nakamura will be without a personal interpreter in his past seven years in European football - the first three with Reggina and the rest with Celtic.

Raul praises 'super nice' Ronaldo

Real Madrid captain Raul heaped praise on his new team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, calling the Portuguese international winger "super nice" and "hard-working".

"He is super nice, normal and very hard-working," Raul told reporters in Maynooth, Ireland where the club began a nine-day pre-season training camp on Tuesday.

"He is integrated. He seems very happy. In the media it seems like everything he does and says, every gesture, has a lot of meaning but he is much more normal than people think," the 32-year-old added.

Real signed Ronaldo from Manchester United last month on a six-year deal worth around €94 million and he will reportedly be paid €13 million each season.

Real will play a friendly match against Irish champions Shamrock Rovers on July 20, two days before their training camp in Ireland ends.

Roma hunting for Tottenham's Bale

Reports in the media said that Roma are set to make another swoop in the English Premier League to get Gareth Bale from Tottenham.

Last season, Roma signed John Arne Riise from Liverpool and according to the Daily Mirror the Giallorossi have already started talks for the Welsh left-back who was also linked with a move to Roma's Serie A rivals Inter and Milan this summer.

Bale, 19, is nicknamed Tottenham's 'bad lucky charm' because he has never won a Premier League game with the club.

He joined from Southampton for £5m in May 2007, but his career has since been badly affected by injuries.

Downing set to leave Boro for Villa

Aston Villa are likely to pay an agreed fee of £12 million to sign Stewart Downing from Middlesbrough.

Downing, 24, had been widely expected to leave Boro following the club's relegation to the Championship last season.

Downing is currently recovering from a broken foot. The initial diagnosis after he went under the knife on May 22 was that it would take between four and six months to reach full fitness.

Downing had handed in a transfer request at the Riverside Stadium in January amid strong interest from Tottenham, but a move to White Hart Lane never materialised.