Flamengo: Colombia forward Orlando Berrio has joined Flamengo for undisclosed terms, the Rio de Janeiro club said. “Flamengo...finally clinched the signing of another reinforcement for the 2017 season,” the club said in a statement, without giving details of the deal. Berrio was one of the most influential players for Medellin’s Atletico Nacional in 2016, when they won the Libertadores Cup and reached the final of the Copa Sudamericana.

Saponara: Fiorentina have signed former Milan playmaker Riccardo Saponara on loan from Empoli with an obligation to purchase the 25-year-old at the end of the season, the Serie A club announced yesterday.  Saponara, a 22-time Italy under-21 international, first signed for Empoli aged 17 when they were in Serie B before earning an ill-fated move to Milan in 2013, making just three starts for the San Siro club before returning to Empoli in January 2015.

Verratti: Champions Paris St Germain will be without influential midfielder Marco Verratti when they take on Ligue 1 leaders Monaco today after the Italian was ruled out with a calf problem. “He sustained a minor injury and he is not fit to play tomorrow,” coach Unai Emery said. Verratti limped out of training on Friday and sports daily L’Equipe reported that he would be out for about two weeks.

Warnock: Cardiff manager Neil Warnock is hoping to extend his contract into next season with the Championship club. Warnock’s short-term deal runs out this summer but, after the 2-1 defeat at Reading, he revealed that he hoped to stay on in south Wales. “I’d like to get promotion next season,” Warnock, who succeeded Paul Trollope in October, said. “I’m working hard to show the club what I can do.”

Slimani: Tianjin Quanjian have made a £38m bid for Leicester striker Islam Slimani. The player will reportedly earn £300,000 per week if the moves goes ahead, however, Sky Sports said last night that Leicester are not interested in selling the player they bought on Deadline Day in August, for a club-record fee of £29m.