Football news

Brazilian-born striker Amauri remains fully committed to Juventus and does not want to leave in January, the player’s agent said yesterday. The 30-year-old has been linked with a move away from Turin once the Serie A transfer window opens next month.

“As far as I am aware, Amauri is not on the market,” agent Giampiero Pocetta said.

“He is working hard to return to play next month and he absolutely does not want to leave Juventus.”

Reports in Italy claim Juve are considering a move for Fiorentina striker Alberto Gilardino that could see Amauri move in the opposite direction.

Wenger not ready to splash the cash

Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal will “respect our budget” in the January transfer window.

The French coach is not known for big spending, preferring to invest in youth. But a trophy drought that stretches back to May 2005 means that he has come in for some criticism as a result of his reluctance to land big-name players.

In an interview, he said: “We respect our budget. You look at clubs who lose £100 million and if we do that, then we go bust. We pay what we can afford.

“The beauty of this club is to be successful while respecting the financial balance. People will maybe realise one day that it’s not as easy to stay at the top and as well to cope with financial compulsories that you have at the top.”

Carroll going nowhere – Pardew

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has warned Tottenham and any other potential suitors off a move for Andy Carroll. The striker has put aside a turbulent period off the field by scoring 10 goals this season in Newcastle’s impressive start to life back in the Premier League.

That has led to not just an international debut but also speculation over the 21-year-old’s future. North London has been mentioned as a possible destination but Pardew insists the player is going nowhere.

“We have to have a big-club mentality and hold on to our best players,” Pardew said.

“It just goes to show you his present value. Andy just has to keep working hard and doing what he does best. His career path is here.”

Beckham’s Galaxy start against Seattle

David Beckham and the LA Galaxy will visit the Seattle Sounders on March 15 in the opening game of the 2011 Major League Soccer.

The 16th MLS season will feature a record 18 clubs, with expansion teams in Portland and Vancouver, the second Canadian squad in MLS after Toronto. A third Canadian club, Montreal, will begin operations in 2012.

Galaxy eliminated the Sounders from last season’s MLS play-offs.

Beckham revealed this week that he does intend to play in Europe before MLS teams gather for pre-season workouts.

Chelsea want Modric – Mamic

Dinamo Zagreb vice-president Zdravko Mamic has said that Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti intends to sign Tottenham’s Luka Modric. Mamic is a close friend of the Croatian playmaker and helped him engineer his £16.5m switch to White Hart Lane in 2008.

Chelsea are said to have placed Modric at the top of their summer shopping list and Ancelotti is prepared to wait until the end of the season before making an approach.

“I was with Ancelotti for lunch. I was very proud when I heard what he said about Modric,” Mamic said.

“Luka is top of his list. I’m not Modric’s agent, I am just his friend, but I am very proud. I don’t want to say anything more because I don’t want to upset my friends at Tottenham.”

Hamsik delighted with second place

Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik is delighted his side ended 2010 in second place in Serie A, insisting that it crowns a great year for the club. Napoli have won four games on the bounce in all competitions and currently lie just three points adrift of league leaders Milan.

Sunday’s last-gasp win over Lecce was the third time Napoli have won in added time in four matches.

“We dominated for the entire 90 minutes. We were never put under any pressure and in the end we got the victory,” Hamsik said.

“We have crowned this 2010 with three points. We are on the second step of the podium after the first half of the season,” he concluded.

Stuttgart chasing Japan’s Okazaki

Bundesliga strugglers Stuttgart have made an offer for Japan and Shimizu S-Pulse striker Shinji Okazaki.

The 24-year-old’s contract expires on January 31, but Shimizu still hope to agree a transfer fee with the German side.

Okazaki, who scored 13 goals in 31 J-League matches in the 2010 season which ended this month, has always wanted to move abroad, the Nikkan Sports said.

Okazaki has also netted 18 goals in 35 matches for Japan since his international debut in 2008, including the third goal in a 3-1 win over Denmark in their final group match at this year’s World Cup in South Africa.