Record Crowd: A record crowd of 42,200 flag-waving fans watched a Germany training session open to the public yesterday. "We didn't expect as much of a frenzy as this," coach Juergen Klinsmann said. The 90-minute session was capped by players throwing and kicking a total of 500 balls into the Duesseldorf crowd. German Football Association (DFB) officials said the crowd was twice as big as the previous record for a public session, 20,000 in Cologne in November 2005.

Shevchenko: Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko has been given permission by Milan to travel to London for talks with Chelsea, the English champions said. Newspapers reported that Shevchenko had agreed personal terms and was expected to sign for a British record transfer fee well in excess of 30 million pounds. The British transfer record is the 28.25 million pounds that Manchester United paid Leeds United for defender Rio Ferdinand in 2002.

Johnson: Everton have signed striker Andrew Johnson from Crystal Palace for a club record 8.6 million pounds. The player, considered the best English striker outside the Premier League, was formally presented at a news conference at Goodison Park. Johnson, who scored 15 goals in 34 league games in the second division last season, is on England's standby list for the World Cup.

Hilario: Nacional goalkeeper Henrique Hilario has been signed by English champions Chelsea, the London club's manager Jose Mourinho said. No details of the deal were released. Mourinho told the private TVI station late on Tuesday that Hilario would be understudy to Petr Cech of the Czech Republic. Hilario, 30, worked with Mourinho at Porto and will leave Nacional on June 30.

Aguero: Atletico Madrid have signed Argentine striker Sergio Aguero from Independiente on a six-year contract. Spanish media reported that Atletico would pay a fee in the region of 20 million euros for the 17-year-old who is rated one of the most exciting prospects in Argentina.