Football news

Fabio Simplicio is happy to stay at Palermo until the end of the season after his move to Inter fell through.

The Brazilian midfielder was a target of the Nerazzurri in the winter transfer market but the two clubs failed to reach an agreement at the last minute.

"I was informed by Palermo of this possibility," said Simplicio.

"I don't know why the two clubs didn't reach an agreement but in any case I am happy to stay and end the season at Palermo.

"I owe everything to this club and I feel it's the right decision to end the year here."

Liverpool step up Jovanovic pursuit

Liverpool are closing in on a deal to sign Standard Liege striker Milan Jovanovic.

Reports said negotiations on a pre-contract agreement for the 28-year-old to join them in the summer are at an advanced stage.

The Serbia international is out of contract at the end of the season and Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has been tracking the player for some time.

Birmingham and Milan were also believed to be interested in the former Lokomotiv Moscow forward, who is reportedly ready to sign a three-year deal at Anfield.

Yeung boasting on funds backfired

Carson Yeung's pledge to give Birmingham manager Alex McLeish up to £40 million to spend in the transfer market backfired as rival clubs racked up asking prices for players, a club director has reportedly admitted.

Birmingham's vice-chairman Peter Pannu believes the Hong Kong businessman would have been wise to be more discreet about his spending plans.

"It was not particularly helpful that our chairman indicated a desire to buy players in January," Pannu said.

"I think that raised expectations among the clubs that we approached."

McLeish had made a new striker his priority during the transfer window but moves for Kevin Kuranyi, Ryan Babel, Kenwyne Jones and Roman Pavlyuchenko all came to nothing.

Guerrero grounded over flying phobia

Hamburg's Peruvian international striker Paolo Guerrero is being treated in Lima for his phobia of flying by a psychologist after he fled from an aircraft on four different occasions in January.

The 26-year-old had been recuperating in Peru since undergoing an operation on cruciate ligaments last September but was unable to stay on the flights back to Germany.

Guerrero has not commented on his condition but those close to him said that he recently developed his fear of flying.

Guerrero lost an uncle in a plane crash in 1987 and admitted that he had never been so scared in his life when the return flight from a match in France last August was caught up in severe turbulence.

Ribery set to decide Bayern future

Franck Ribery will decide in the next eight weeks whether or not to stay with Bayern Munich, his agent said.

Ribery, 26, has a contract at Bayern until June 2011 but after a series of top class displays he has been linked to some of Europe's top sides, including Real Madrid.

Although Ribery has struggled with a knee injury since October, he is working his way back to fitness and is widely regarded, alongside Bayern team-mate Arjen Robben, as one of the most creative players in the Bundesliga.

"Franck has a contract until 2011 and so Bayern hold all the cards in their hands," Ribery's agent Alain Migliaccio said.

"The story about an ultimatum is absolute nonsense, nobody has given Franck an ultimatum."

Injury heartache goes on for Johnson

Andy Johnson, Fulham's former England striker, will be out of action for at least three weeks with a knee injury that is threatening to rule him out for the rest of the season.

Johnson, who has made only 13 appearances in the current campaign as a result of a dislocated collarbone and a groin strain, is to have exploratory surgery to determine the gravity of the injury.

"If they find that the problem is as major as it could possibly be, then he would need an operation that would keep him out for the rest of the season," Fulham boss Roy Hodgson said.

Hodgson admitted he would not have let Diomansy Kamara go to Celtic on loan earlier this week if he had been aware of Johnson's latest problem.

Berlusconi against Mancini loan deal

Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has hit out at his club's decision to sign Brazilian winger Mancini on loan from neighbours Inter.

In a shock transfer deadline day move, Milan brought the 29-year-old former Roma star across the city, ending an unhapppy 18-month stint in the blue and black half of Milan.

But that move, sanctioned by club vice-president Adriano Galliani, who runs day-to-day business at Milan, has not pleased the owner.

"He hasn't played much recently, I don't understand why we signed him," he told reporters.

"He's a three-quarter and what we really needed was an out-and-out striker."