Roma: Roma want to sign Greece midfielder Sotris Ninis from Panathinaikos this summer. The 20-year-old has just made his World Cup debut for his country and is also believed to have attracted the interest of Manchester United. Panath-inaikos are valuing Ninis at €10m.
Sheffield United: Sheffield United boss Kevin Blackwell remains hopeful midfielder Stephen Quinn will sign a new deal. Quinn is out of contract this summer. Blackwell said: "Stephen is a very whole-hearted player, so if he stays it will help us put in place a strong core of what I consider to be real Sheffield United players."
Cagliari: Midfielder Alex Pinardi left Serie B side Modena yesterday to join Cagliari. The 29-year-old is Cagliari's first signing since Pierpaolo Bisoli took charge of the the team. Pinardi, who also played for Atalanta and Lecce, has signed a two-year contract.
Vela: Mexican striker Carlos Vela faces up to ten days on the sidelines as he struggles with the hamstring injury he picked up in the win over France. Yesterday's training session involved a brief jog and some warm-up exercises but the Arsenal man will miss the match against Uruguay.
Marquez: Barcelona defender Rafa Marquez is set to discuss his future with the Catalan club after the World Cup. Marquez says he needs to speak to Barca coach Pep Guardiola before deciding whether to accept a new two-year contract at the Nou Camp.
Rugby Union: Dan Carter gave Carisbrook a fitting send-off as he masterminded a heavy 42-9 New Zealand win over Wales yesterday. The fly-half scored two fine tries and kicked another 17 points as the All Blacks punished Welsh mistakes. The venerable old Carisbrook Ground will be torn down to make way for the new Forsyth Barr Stadium as New Zealand prepares itself for hosting the 2011 World Cup. Other result: Australia vs England 20-21.
Basket, NBA: The World Cup has fuelled record numbers of messages on Twitter but the all-time high was set last Thursday after Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA title. Twitter spokesman Sean Garrett said that Twitter saw a record 3,085 "tweets" per second after the Lakers beat Boston Celtics. Garrett said the previous record was set after Japan scored against Cameroon on Monday - 2,940 tweets-per-second.
Cycling: The International Cycling Union are to use scanners at next month's Tour de France to combat rumoured 'mechanical doping'. It was reported earlier this month that motors were being placed in bike frames to aid riders by powering their pedals at specific points of a race, speculation which was greeted with a mixture of amazement and wonder. Electronic gears are already permitted in bikes, which under regulations must be commercially available.
Swimming: Liam Tancock and Lizzie Simmonds claimed their second victories in the space of 24 hours on the second day of the Sette Colli Trophy meet in Pescara. World 50m backstroke champion Tancock added the 100m title in 54.82 seconds while fellow backstroker Simmonds did likewise in the women's equivalent in 1:00.15. Federica Pellegrini won the 800m freestyle in 4:03.12.
Ice hockey: San Jose Sharks captain Rob Blake has retired after a 20-year career as one of the National Hockey League's most reliable defencemen. The 40-year-old Canadian Blake won a NHL championship with Colorado nine years ago and was on Canada's gold medal winning Olympic team in 2002. Blake finished his career with 537 assists and 777 points.