Serie A Genoa have deposited Argentine striker Diego Milito's transfer fee from relegated Spanish side Real Zaragoza, the Italian Soccer League said.
Milito returns to Genoa after a successful stint with the club in Serie B between January 2004 and June 2005. He scored an impressive 33 goals in 59 games.
The 29-year-old, who is particularly effective in high balls, was club captain at Real Zaragoza.
Tottenham reportedly matched Genoa's bid for Milito this summer, but the Argentine's desire to return to Genoa proved decisive.
Meanwhile, Genoa also made a swoop for young Bosko Jankovic, of Serbia. The former Red Star player played for Palermo last season but had few chances to leave his mark.
Transfers break new record
Soccer transfers have broken a new record this summer, with around 500 million pounds being spent on new players by British Premier League clubs, according to a report from consultancy firm Deloitte.
Last-minute deals in the summer transfer window, including Robinho's move to Manchester City from Real Madrid for around 32.5 million pounds and Dimitar Berbatov's signing to Manchester United from Tottenham Hotspur for 30.75 million, pushed up the total to around 500 million from some 470 million in 2007.
"This level of transfer spending is far in excess of spending by other European leagues," Paul Rawnsley, director of the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said.
"English football clubs are proving resilient to the current challenging economic environment. Whilst football is not recession-proof, it is recession-resistant," he added.
Crespo left out of Inter squad
Argentine striker Hernan Crespo has been left out of Inter's squad list for the group stage of the Champions League, the Serie A champions said yesterday.
Coach Jose Mourinho's list of 25 players featured four strikers, Adriano, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Julio Cruz and 18-year-old academy product Mario Balotelli, while new signing Ricardo Quaresma was named among the midfielders.
Injured defenders Nelson Rivas and Walter Samuel were also omitted, along with French midfielder Olivier Dacourt.
Barca junior Yago joins Juventus
Juventus have signed 18-year-old Spanish midfielder Falque Silva Yago from Barcelona on a four-year deal.
Yago is a regular in Spain's U-19 national team but opted to move elsewhere after being told that he is surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp.
And Juve have stepped in to offer Yago a long-term contract after he passed a medical in Turin.
"I am happy to join such a prestigious club as Juventus," Yago told reporters.
"The thought of being able to train alongside such great champions makes me enthusiastic and I can't wait to get going."
Huntelaar bids turned down
Ajax were unimpressed with two last-minute bids for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, the Dutch team's star striker.
Huntelaar, 25, was consistently linked with a move away from Holland this summer, despite the club's reluctance to sell.
Ajax said the bids came from clubs reportedly willing to pay in the region of 40 million euros, just minutes before the closure of the transfer window on Monday night.
"We were perplexed," Danny Blind, the technical director, said.
"A last-minute transfer of Huntelaar was clearly a no-no for us. Those two clubs got that response from us.
"I must say that it was just a phone call. You would have had to wait and see if the offer would have lived up to that on paper."
Ramos calls for shorter window
Juande Ramos, the Tottenham manager, said the transfer window should end at the start of the season.
Having seen Dimitar Berbatov's transfer request overshadowing events at White Hart Lane all summer, Ramos has called for a change in the rules.
"The league started on August 16, but the window does not shut until September 1," he said.
"You play three games before it shuts while players are uncertain where they are going to be playing and team-mates are thinking which players will go and who will come in.
"That means they are not fully concentrated on their work.
"I would prefer it that, once the league has started, you don't have a player playing for one team one week and playing for another the next."
Nesta to skip UEFA Cup matches
Milan have decided to leave out defender Alessandro Nesta from their list of 25 players to be used in the first round and the group stages of the UEFA Cup.
The former Italy defender has struggled this summer with a back injury but reports said he is nearing full fitness after completing a recovery programme.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti has decided to use Nesta in the Serie A only as he believes that the player cannot stand up to the strain of midweek fixtures.
Milan play Swiss side FC Zurich in the first round of the UEFA Cup.