Sporting briefs

Barca: Barcelona are set to offer Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk €25 million for central defender Dmitro Chygrynskiy. Shakhtar are currently unwilling to sell but Mundo Deportivo claimed yesterday Barcelona have "pulled out all the stops" in a bid to sign Chygrynskiy.

Reid: Peter Reid has confirmed he will be leaving his current job as coach of Thailand to take up an offer to serve as assistant to Stoke manager Tony Pulis. Reid still has three years left on his contract with the Thai FA but he told BBC Radio Stoke that he had reached an agreement with his current employers which would allow him to leave his post.

Yakubu: Nigeria star Aiyegbeni Yakubu is in line to make his first Everton appearance in 10 months after recovering from a ruptured Achilles. Yakubu scored for the Everton reserves in a 3-0 win over Burnley on Tuesday evening and, having come through the match unscathed, was included in the squad to travel to the Czech Republic for a Europa League tie today.

Espanyol: Espanyol have agreed to sign Argentine defender Juan Forlin from Boca Juniors to help fill the gap left by the sudden death of Dani Jarque. Forlin, 21, will sign a five-year contract once the necessary documentation is in place. Media reported the deal was worth around four million euros for a high percentage of the player's rights.

Josue: Wolfsburg midfielder Josue has pulled out of Brazil's squad to face Argentina and Chile in World Cup qualifiers next month after injuring his right knee. The Brazilian Football Confederation said that Josue would have keyhole surgery on the knee in Germany.

Horce Racing: Top jockey Christophe Soumillon will no longer ride Aga Khan-owned horses in France after the 2009 flat racing season. The successful association, dating back to 2002, would end because of a difficult relationship with the 28-year-old Belgian, whose contract would not be renewed, the Agha Khan Studs said in a statement. The Aga Khan Studs and Soumillon enjoyed great success including four Group 1 wins with Dalakhani and five Group 1 wins with the unbeaten Zarkava in 2008.

Tennis: Elena Dementieva will represent Russia at next year's Hopman Cup, foregoing the defence of her Auckland Classic title in New Zealand. Dementieva will partner Igor Andreev at the mixed-teams championship that will run from January 2-9. It will be her first appearance at the event. Russia are the second team to be confirmed for the eight-team tournament after hosts Australia, who will be represented by Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur.

Bocing: Japan's WBC flyweight champion Daisuke Naito has agreed to fight self-styled boxing bad boy Koki Kameda in a blockbuster title defence in November. The clash is expected to generate massive media interest and TV ratings in Japan. Bad blood exists between the 34-year-old Naito and the brash Kameda, 12 years his junior. Naito beat Kameda's younger brother Daiki in an ugly brawl that ended in farce in 2007, the challenger picking up Naito and slamming him to the canvas.

Mountain Bike: Australian cyclist Chris Jongewaard was convicted yesterday over a hit-and-run driving accident which left his training partner fighting for his life. The four-time national mountain bike champion was found guilty in the South Australian District Court of aggravated driving without due care and leaving the scene of an accident. Jongewaard, who pleaded not guilty, was kicked off Australia's Beijing Olympics team last year because of the charges.