Moravek: Schalke agreed to loan Czech midfielder Jan Moravek to relegation-threatened Bundesliga rivals Augsburg till the end of the season. Augsubrg for their part announced that Michael Thurk had had his contract terminated because the 35-year-old striker – scorer of 51 goals in 104 appearances – had irreconcilable differences with coach Jos Luhukay.

Pinto: Barcelona goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto has reached agreement to extend his contract with the Primera Liga champions until June 30, 2013. The 36-year-old – who is second choice to Victor Valdes – arrived in Barcelona in 2008 from Celta Vigo.

Sigurdsson: Swansea have signed midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson on loan from Hoffenheim until the end of the season. The Iceland international previously played for Reading and left the club last year after Hoffenheim came in with an offer in excess of the Royals’ transfer record of £6.5m. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has since played 36 league games for Hoffenheim, scoring nine times.

Caldwell: Wigan will be without captain Gary Caldwell for today’s Premier League clash with Sunderland at the DW Stadium as he serves a one-match suspension. The defender was shown a straight red card for handling Cameron Jerome’s goal-bound header in the 2-2 draw with Stoke on Boxing Day and is likely to be replaced by Steve Gohouri.

Macheda: Manchester United striker Federico Macheda has joined QPR on loan until the end of the season. The 20-year-old becomes Neil Warnock’s first signing of the January transfer window and will wear the number 33 shirt at Loftus Road. Macheda spent a similar stint with Sampdoria in Serie A last season.

Naismith: Steven Naismith feels he is winning his battle against a serious knee injury. The Rangers midfielder will be out for the rest of the season but he is confident he will make a full recovery. He said: “It’s coming along nicely and I feel pretty good. The leg seems strong and the physios and the doctor are happy with it so it’s a case of continuing on.”