Donati: Italian midfielder Massimo Donati is looking forward to playing for Scottish champions Celtic after passing a medical to complete his three million pounds four-year transfer from Milan. "I ended up getting an offer here and for me it is the same level (as Milan) and I'm honoured to play here. I jumped at the chance," Donati said. "I wanted to play in a team, a winning team, a team that wins championships and I really want to play in the Champions League."
Coppa Italia: The Italian Cup final will be played as one match next season on May 24 rather than the usual two-legged affair. The Serie A season starts on August 26 following much debate, the league said in a statement yesterday.
India tour: India will tour Portugal next month and then stage an international soccer tournament to help improve the national team, coach Bob Houghton said. They will play three games in Portugal, including one against a Premier League side, during an 18-day trip to help boost the team ranked 161st in the world.
Genoa: Genoa president Enrico Preziosi has told Italian media that Domenico Criscito may return to the club from Juventus if the Turin side buy Real Zaragoza defender Gabriel Milito. Midfielder Matteo Paro has already moved to Genoa from Juventus.
Spying missions: Rangers manager Walter Smith has promised meticulous spying missions to prepare for the Scottish club's Champions League qualifier against the winners of FBK Kaunas - the Lithuanian club owned by Hearts majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov - and Zeta of Montenegro. "Kaunas are obviously known to us, they are owned by the same person as Hearts and a number of their players now play at Tynecastle (in the Scottish Premier League)," Smith told the Rangers website. "Zeta are more of an unknown quantity."
Stuttgart: Stuttgart said yesterday they were planning to file a complaint against Juventus to FIFA about the Italian club reportedly approaching two of the Bundesliga club's players. Asked about reports that the Italian club had made offers for striker Mario Gomez and captain Fernando Meira, Stuttgart manager Horst Heldt said: "It's abysmal and scandalous behaviour and therefore we will confront FIFA about it." Asked about Heldt's comments, a spokeswoman for Juventus said: "We don't know anything about this. No one is talking about these names. We have no news."
Rozehnal: Czech Republic central defender David Rozehnal has joined Newcastle from Paris SG on a four-year contract. "I'm delighted that we have been able to secure the signing of David and been able to beat the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla to get him," manager Sam Allardyce told reporters. Rozehnal, 27 next week, is Allardyce's third close-season signing after Australia striker Mark Viduka and midfielder Joey Barton.
Kapo: Birmingham City, promoted to the Premier League last season, have signed France midfielder Olivier Kapo from Juventus for three million pounds. The 27-year-old Kapo, born in the Ivory Coast, played on loan for Levante in Spain last season.
Espanyol: Spartak Moscow have loaned Argentine defender Clemente Rodriguez to UEFA Cup finalists Espanyol for a year, the Russian premier league club said. Rodriguez, 25, played the 2006-07 season for Boca Juniors, helping the Argentine club to win the Libertadores Cup.