Cissokho: French left-back Aly Cissokho is on his way to Lyon after agreement was reached between the French club and Porto. The player is set to sign a five-year deal worth at least €15 million. The deal was sealed yesterday in Porto after Lyon team doctor Emmanuel Ohrant gave the player the all-clear during a medical.
Barton: Hull dismissed reports linking them with controversial Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton. Hull want to strengthen their squad ahead of the new season but said they are not planning to offer the 27-year-old a Premier League lifeline. Assistant manager Brian Horton said: "Joey Barton is a very good footballer. He has obviously had issues and that is a shame because he can be a very good footballer but at this present time I don't think it's an area that really needs to be looked at."
Ivanschitz: Austrian international midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz is on his way to promoted Bundesliga side Mainz from Greek outfit Panathinaikos, the German team's manager Georg Stanggassinger said. The 25-year-old former Austrian team captain will sign a three-year contract worth €1.5 million today. Ivanschitz joined Panathinaikos in 2006 after playing for Rapid Vienna and Salzburg, but failed to feature last season.
Rebuked: Japan's Kashima Antlers have rebuked Brazilian forward Marquinhos for baring his underwear after putting his shorts on back-to-front before a game. The club president failed to see the funny side after the player had to re-dress himself in full view of a packed stadium at a J-League Cup match in midweek. "He must be careful," Antlers chief Kazumi Ohigashi said. "He will be properly informed about the matter."
Mallorca: Real Mallorca president Mateu Alemany and Madrid businessman Carlos Gonzalez have reached a preliminary accord for Gonzalez to buy Alemany's 93 per cent stake, the Primera Liga club said. Mallorca did not specify how much Gonzalez, owner of technology consultancy Grupo Ecco, had agreed to pay but it was widely reported in the Spanish media that an offer of five million euros had been accepted. Alemany was brought in earlier this year to help overhaul the club's finances.
Rosina: Alessandro Rosina is expected to leave Italy after receiving a lucrative offer from Zenit SP. Rosina was a fans' favourite at Torino but the relationship soured following the club's relegation to Serie B last season. Tuttosport said that Zenit SP have offered a four-year contract to tempt Rosina to their fold. Torino are demanding €8m for the transfer of their player to the Russian club.
Cycling: Heinrich Haussler won the 13th stage of the Tour de France as a German on Friday and then confirmed he planned to ride for Australia next season. The 25-year-old Cervelo Team rider was born in Australia to a German father and an Australian mother. "Next year, I'm going to be riding for Australia. I'm lucky to have two passports but now, as I'm getting older I'm feeling more Australian. It's always been at the back of my head," he said.
Hopman Cup: Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur will combine for the first time to play for Australia at next year's Hopman Cup mixed teams event. Hewitt, a former tennis world no.1 and twice Grand Slam champion, reached the quarter-finals of this year's Wimbledon and has a current world ranking of 42, while Stosur, ranked 20, made the semi-finals of the French Open last month. The Hopman Cup will be played in Perth from January 2 to 9.
Basket, NBA: The Los Angeles Clippers have traded high-scoring forward Zach Randolph to Memphis, the Grizzlies announced. The Clippers received Quentin Richardson in exchange for Randolph, who averaged 20.8 points and 10.1 rebounds in 50 games last season. The move will allow Los Angeles to create space for No.1 overall draft pick Blake Griffin.
Swimming: The open water competitions at the world aquatics championships have been postponed after a storm late on Friday caused damage at race venue Ostia on the Italian coast, officials said. The men's and women's five-kilometre races scheduled to take place today would now be held on Tuesday, FINA said. The women's and men's 10-km competitions have been postponed from Tuesday and Wednesday respectively to Thursday. The women's 25-km has been moved from Thursday to Saturday, when the men's event will take place as planned.