jose - soccer

Barry was close to moving to Liverpool a year ago but the clubs could not agree a fee and the deal eventually fell through amid acrimonious exchanges between the player and manager Martin O'Neill. In total contrast, Tuesday's deal was done in a matter of hours following Villa's lunchtime announcement that their captain was in talks with City. "Gareth is widely acknowledged as one of the top midfielders in the Premier League and that is a recommendation in itself," City manager Mark Hughes told the website. "When players of his quality become available then you have to be in the market for them. "With Gareth we get the experience of someone who has played week-in, week-out in the hardest league in the world. He plays at a level that has an impact on the game and we are thrilled that he is joining us. "I like players that have the sort of flexibility that enables you to change your tactics if you need during a game, and Gareth has that. He also has a range of passing that I'm keen to introduce to the team, and he has got great delivery at sets plays as well. He will bring a lot to City."

Barry said: "It didn't take much persuasion from Mark Hughes, they are heading in the direction I want to go. "There is great potential here, and I'm sure there will be a few more additions to the squad this summer."

Predominantly a left-sided midfielder, Barry has also impressed in a more central role and is a favourite of England coach Fabio Capello. He is currently with Capello's squad preparing for Saturday's World Cup qualifying match in Kazakhstan and next week's home game against Andorra when he will expect to add to his tally of 29 caps.

His signing could be the first of many at City in the close-season as manager Mark Hughes looks to use the millions of the club's Arab owners to build a squad to improve upon the team's 10th-place finish.

Hughes, who last year paid a British record 32 million pounds to Real Madrid for Brazil striker Robinho, added: "I was looking to get a number of deals done as soon as possible and we have had a great start with Gareth joining us. "I hope we can conclude some more so that when we come back for pre-season training we have everybody fit and well and set for a successful campaign."

Cannavaro's contract with Madrid end next month, and he has now signed a one-year deal with Juve, the club he left in 2006 in the wake of the 'calciopoli' scandal. His move angered many fans and when his possible return to the club was first mooted it received mixed reactions from Juve fans, some of whom have not forgiven him for deserting them in 2006.

Even so, the player is looking forward to making his return to Turin and winning over his detractors. "I'm delighted to have returned to Turin and to have the opportunity to wear the black and white jersey again," said Italy's World Cup-winning captain. "I'm sorry that in some fans anger prevails over the appreciation for the glorious seasons we lived through together. "I'm convinced that I can win over even the biggest sceptics through hard work, professionalism and the passion with which I will tackle this new adventure."

Cannavaro won the title in both his previous seasons at Juventus but the club was stripped of those for their role in the calciopoli match-fixing scandal. The centre-back was born in Naples and played for hometown club Napoli for three seasons before joining Parma in 1995, with whom he won the UEFA Cup and two Italian Cups over a seven-year period. He left to join Inter Milan in 2002 but after only two seasons moved on to Juve.

Upon joining Real Madrid in 2006 he helped the club win back-to-back La Liga titles. He has been a winner both domestically and internationally as well as on a personal level and that is what convinced Juve sports director Alessio Secco to bring him back. "Fabio is a World Cup winner, a Ballon d'Or winner and a great man in the changing rooms," he said. "During the summer of 2006 the club had to sell him to deal with an economic crisis. This year we have waited out the end of Cannavaro's (Real) contract in order to bring him back to Turin and we're sure that he will make Juventus more competitive."The Serie A club said Tuesday the 35-year-old defender, who left for Real Madrid in 2006, signed a one-year contract to rejoin the Turin side on July 1.

Cannavaro, the 2006 world player of the year, angered Juve fans when he left for Madrid after the Italian club was demoted in a match-fixing scandal. "I am happy to be back in Turin and to have the opportunity to again wear the black-and-white jersey," Cannavaro said on the club's Web site. "I'm sorry that among some of the fans there still prevails rancor about appreciating the glorious seasons that we lived together," he said.

Cannavaro pledged to win over "even the most skeptical among them through my work, professionalism and passion with which I'll face this new adventure." Juve said that in 2006 it was "forced to let him go to deal with urgent financial needs." The club said it was sure that Cannavaro's presence "will make Juventus more competitive."

Cannavaro's return was announced a day after Juve fired coach Claudio Ranieri. The club has gone winless in its last seven games and is only one point clear of Fiorentina in the race for third place, with two games remaining. Ciro Ferrara, a former Juve defender, was put in charge for the rest of the season.

Chelsea are happy for Carlo Ancelotti to have a say on a summer squad clearout, it has been revealed. The Telegraph says AC Milan boss Ancelotti is understood to have finally made a commitment to leave the San Siro and join Chelsea on a three-year contract. According to a report in the British broadsheet The Telegraph, Carlo Ancelotti has been promised huge financial backing for transfers after agreeing to take over as Chelsea manager.

Apparently, the Italian has decided he will depart Milan at the end of the season to take over at Stamford Bridge on a three-year contract. As part of the deal, it is claimed that Blues owner Roman Abramovich has promised to give the 49-year-old at least €56.6 million (£50m) to strengthen the squad during the summer.

Apparently, Arsenal forward Emmanuel Adebayor is a top target, with the west London club setting aside in excess of €22.6m (£20m) in order to land him. It is also thought that Chelsea will pay €17m (£15m) to acquire the services of Russian international winger Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow. The west London club are also said to be keeping tabs on Argentina international Carlos Tevez, whose loan deal with Manchester United is due to expire this summer. It is uncertain whether the Red Devils will pay the reported €22.6m (£20m) being asked for the 25-year-old's rights, with Chelsea allegedly ready to pounce should he become available.

Chelsea will also conduct a clear-out of some of their underperforming stars in the overhaul that they want Ancelotti to oversee. Among those under scrutiny are French internationals Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka, along with Deco.

(source: tribalfootball, goal.com)

Inter is leading the league by one point over Roma going into the last game, but the club has had a clamorous end to the season after a series of faltering performances and dressing room clashes.
The Daily Telegraph says yesterday, the club's tailor, Domenico Brescia, 55, was revealed to be a convicted murderer who is close to the Crisafulli Mafia clan.
Brescia is also thought by police to be a cocaine dealer, and his conversations with several Inter players and Roberto Mancini, the manager, were recorded by investigators
The transcripts of over 2,000 phone calls between Brescia and Mancini, Marco Materazzi, Sinisa Mihajlovic and other members of the club were leaked. The vast majority of the phone calls were mundane and concerned tickets to matches, or alterations to clothes.
However, in one call Mr Mancini is recorded discussing Daniele Bizzozzero, a Mafioso associate of Brescia's who had fled to Monte Carlo and then Paris in a bid to escape the police.
"What happened to him," Mr Mancini is heard asking. "How was he arrested? I told him to stay [in Paris] and wait for a pardon."
Brescia then said that Bizzozzero was stupid, to which Mr Mancini replied: "He has always behaved well with me."
Questions were immediately raised about why Mr Mancini was discussing the fate of a criminal, and why he advised him to remain on the run. In other phone calls, Mr Mancini demanded "two coathangers" urgently and another Inter employee referred mysteriously to "packs of stuff" left in Brescia's car.
However, the police said they had no intention of prosecuting anyone at the club. The club cut all ties with Mr Brescia one month ago, when the full extent of his criminal past became known.
"We have only had commercial relations with Domenico Brescia," said a spokesman for the club. "He was our emergency tailor, seeing as his shop is very close to our Pinetina training ground. He has never been an Inter employee."
Brescia's lawyer, meanwhile, insisted he was close friends with several Inter players and had been visiting the training ground daily for 30 years.
The leak of the documents at such a sensitive time provoked a storm of outrage among Inter's fans, who insisted that the media was trying to unsettle the team.

Prior to football club Inter’s big match against Parma to win the scudetto, it was revealed that FC Inter players and managers had had phone conversations with known criminals tapped as part of an investigation into a drug dealing ring.

The Milan team’s former tailor, Domencio Brescia, is said to also be involved in cocaine deals, and has a record for murder and robbery to boot. Strange associations for the team who has always claimed to be the honest ones in the competition, especially after the "we was robbed" claims over the Juventus match fixing scandal a couple of years ago.

You might think the conversations between said tailor and club management would provide something juicy. But in one conversation between team manager Roberto Mancini and Brescia, they discussed trim cut trousers, team line-ups and a friend’s arrest in France (although a photo of a topless woman and mutual friend did change hands).
(source: tribalfootball.com, blogdolcevita.com)

It looks like another match fixing scandal could rock Italian football again after Inter Milan have been accused of drawing or losing matches to change betting odds. According to a report which was published by Italian Public Ministry in Friday's edition of Il Giornale has said that Inter Milan threw their lead in the title race towards the end of last season to increase gambling odds.

This enquiry that was carried out by Italian Police at the request of the Public Ministry who are investigating allegations regarding phone calls between former Inter coach Roberto Mancini (who was incharge of Inter Milan last season) and a man who is associated with the Mafia, he is called Domenico Brescia.

It is known that Brescia is an Inter Milan supporter who has been in trouble before with drug related allegations. During last season, from week 24 onwards, some betting agencies wouldn't take anymore bets on Inter Milan winning the Scudetto.

The report also says that Zlatan Ibrahimovic's return from injury was postponed on purpose and that on the penultimate match of the season (the day that Inter Milan won the Scudetto) Julio Cruz was told not to take the penalty and Marco Materazzi missed it. The last thing that Italian football needs right now is another match fixing scandal whether it is true or not. Hopefully it isn't true because the last thing that we want in football is this.

It has not been long since the Calciopoli was unearthed from the depths of the Serie A wherein some of the biggest clubs in Italy were put to shame as their dirty linen was washed in public. This was not only a defamation of the clubs involved, but also a black mark in the history of the top flight that has only in recent times begun to regain the respect that it once lost.

Presently, another scandal has rocked the country as the Milan based daily Il Giornale published a report from the Italian Public Ministry that accuses Inter of throwing away matches in order to facilitate better odds towards their winning the Scudetto last season.

It is believed that the report released by the Public Ministry picks up pace sometime in the second half of the season, and centres around a string of phone conversations between Roberto Mancini and Domenico Brescia, a convicted murderer who is said to have had links with the mafia.

While the club distanced themselves when it became known that they were dealing with someone with a criminal record, it remains a fact that Brescia was the emergency tailor for the Nerazzuri at some point, since that is where the problems are supposed to have begun.

The report is apparently alleging the club of delaying the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic after an injury, only to unveil him in the last match of the season against Parma in which the striker scored twice, to lead the path to the Serie A title.

This will be a damaging time for Inter as well as the Serie A, which has come under severe criticism in recent times due to the shocking incidents that have come to light in the past. This revelation will do no good to the league that boasts so many big names and stars. That apart, this may derail the hopes that la Beneamata can bring home the Scudetto this season.

(source: footballitaliano, bleacherreport.com)

The soccer team will find it hard to get an equally lucrative sponsorship deal from 2010.It looks like the American government is not interested in bankrolling top soccer brand Manchester United anymore. After taking control of struggling insurance company American International Group last year--as the financial crisis threatened to engulf some of the world's biggest companies--Uncle Sam does not want to renew the insurer's $78.0 million sponsorship deal with the British team.

This will be a problem for Manchester United, which relies on sponsorship for around one-third of its revenues. If it can't get a new sponsor to pay out a similar or higher amount in 2010, when the contract with AIG (nyse: AIG - news - people ) runs out, club owner Malcolm Glazer will find it even harder to repay the debts he saddled the team with when he bought it in 2005.

"They have to find a deal of equal standing, that is the critical issue," said Sean Hamil, an academic at the University of London's Birkbeck Sports Business Center. He told Forbes that this was unlikely to happen, given the troubles facing the corporate world, and that this would have an effect on Manchester United's ability to keep paying for star players.

As for who could replace AIG, speculation is rife it could be insurer Prudential (nyse: PUK - news - people ) or Indian conglomerate Sahara India. Either way, there are already signs that Glazer is tightening his belt, according to Duncan Drasdo, of the Manchester United Supporters' Trust. He told Forbes that Glazer was rumored to be putting his American football team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, team up for sale. He also said that Manchester United was taking ticket money from members' bank accounts earlier than planned.

AIG is not the only example of how the economic crisis is seeping into the sports world. German automaker Bayerische Motoren Werke (other-otc: BAMXF - news - people ) lost Swiss bank Credit Suisse (nyse: CS - news - people ) as its Formula One sponsor on Tuesday, while Japan's Honda quit the auto sport in December.

Even in soccer, two high-profile Premier League sponsors are banks: Barclays (nyse: BCS - news - people ) and Northern Rock. A spokesman for Barclays told Forbes the bank had not yet begun talks on renewing its Premier League sponsorship contract, and that it would not comment on the financial details. A Northern Rock representative was unavailable for comment.

Manchester United was ranked the most valuable soccer team in the world by Forbes last year, with a team value of $1.8 billion.

(source: forbes.com)

American insurance giant AIG said on Wednesday it would not renew its shirt sponsorship deal with European and world club football champions Manchester United.

The American company also said in a statement e-mailed to Reuters that it was "in active discussions" with the club regarding the current four-year $100 million deal, which runs until next May.

Once the world's biggest insurer by market value, AIG averted bankruptcy in September last year with an $85 billion federal bailout, which later swelled to about $152 billion.

The company has started selling assets to raise funds to repay a part of the government bailout.

"Following the loan from the Fed, AIG has been reviewing all its sponsorships to identify those essential to maximising the value of AIG businesses," AIG said in a statement e-mailed to Reuters.

"In October, AIG told Manchester United that it is not renewing its sponsorship. Further, AIG has been in active discussions with the club regarding the current contract, which expires in May 2010," it added.

Manchester United was not immediately available for comment.

The news comes a day after it emerged that the English Premier League champions had approached Indian company Sahara as a potential replacement for AIG.

"We can confirm that we have received a proposal for team sponsorship, it is an elaborate one," Abhijit Sarkar, spokesman for the diversified Sahara Group, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Sahara, which sponsors the Indian cricket team, is an unlisted group with interests from financial services to real estate.

(source: ibnlive.in.com)

Defender Wayne Bridge has become the first signing of what seems sure to be a busy transfer window for Manchester City after completing his expected transfer from Chelsea for a fee in the region of £10 million ($14.5 million). The England left-back completed his medical on Saturday morning and agreed personal terms on a four-and-a-half-year contract, before being introduced to supporters prior to City's FA Cup tie at home to Nottingham Forest. He watched on as his new team were humbled 3-0 by the second-flight side in a big upset.

The 28-year-old Bridge, who largely played second-fiddle to England colleague Ashley Cole during his spell at Stamford Bridge, is expected to make his debut against Portsmouth at Fratton Park next Saturday. "I played alongside Wayne at Southampton and saw him come through the ranks," City manager Mark Hughes told the club's Web site mcfc.co.uk. "He was an outstanding young player and he's progressed year on year in his career. He is an England international and has just played for one of the top four sides in the country. "He is of the right quality and is the type of player we need to attract. We need good players that understand this league and we will look to carry on in that way and add more if we can."

It is expected Hughes will return to old club Blackburn for Roque Santa Cruz early next week as City's Abu Dhabi-based owners begin to flex their vast financial muscle. Manchester City intensified their bid to sign Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn Rovers last night as Mark Hughes looked to reassert his authority over a demoralised squad. Hughes, the City manager, has been forced to contend with a series of problems in recent weeks, having identified Tal Ben-Haim and Elano among those responsible for a growing sense of disquiet in the dressing-room. But having sent a forceful message yesterday to any disgruntled players, it emerged that City have finally established formal contact with Blackburn as they try to secure the signing of Santa Cruz in a deal worth in the region of £15 million. Reports of an £8 million bid to sign Shay Given, the unsettled Newcastle United goalkeeper, were not confirmed by City officials.

John Williams, the Blackburn chairman, was quoted as saying yesterday lunchtime that he had yet to receive a formal offer from City for Santa Cruz, but contact has since been made between the clubs at boardroom level, with Hughes hoping that a deal for the Paraguay forward can be concluded sooner rather than later.

Hughes has spoken to Paul Aldridge, the City chief operating officer, to express frustration over the time taken to complete the proposed signings of Santa Cruz, Kolo Touré, the Arsenal defender, and Scott Parker and Craig Bellamy, the West Ham United duo. City have been frustrated by West Ham’s intransigence and have indicated that they will be forced to look elsewhere if the London club, having sought to sell Calum Davenport to Bolton Wanderers and Matthew Etherington to Stoke City, do not play ball.

The City manager has other targets, having identified Joleon Lescott, of Everton, as an alternative to Touré, and, with the signing of Wayne Bridge from Chelsea completed, Hughes maintains that his squad will be far stronger by the end of the month. He hopes to offload players such as Ben-Haim and Elano, but, in the meantime, has urged the malcontents in his squad to speak directly to him. “All the players know if they have any complaints, they can knock on my door,” Hughes said. “That is how it has always been. You are going to get these kind of stories when things are not going as well as you would like.”

(source: edition.cnn.com, timesonline.co.uk)

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp rubbishes talk of a reported £30m swoop for Portsmouth trio Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Glen Johnson. The January transfer window has opened, which gives clubs their first opportunity to buy or sell players since the end of August. Several deals have already been agreed, including Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra's £20m move to Real Madrid while a number of others are being finalised. A record £150m was spent by Premier League clubs in January 2008.

But that figure could be eclipsed this season if, as expected, Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is given major funds to strengthen his squad by his club's billionaire Arab owners. Any buys by City could kick-start activity from other Premier League sides but the Eastlands club are yet to delve into the market.

Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz is believed to be top of Hughes' wish-list but Rovers boss Sam Allardyce says he has not received any offers for the Paraguay star, while Chelsea defender Wayne Bridge is widely tipped to be heading to Eastlands.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has underlined his desire to sign new players, and has already had a bid of around £6m rejected for West Ham striker Craig Bellamy as well as confirming his interest in Pompey frontman Jermain Defoe and Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing. But teams such as Manchester United and Chelsea insist they will not be buying and others, like Portsmouth and the Hammers, may be forced to sell some of their stars to balance the books.

Wigan are keen to keep hold of England striker Emile Heskey, who is out of contract in the summer, while Newcastle striker Michael Owen and goalkeeper Shay Given are also in demand. Most Premier League managers have already had their say over how they see the next month going:

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger:
"Although we are not close to signing anyone at the moment, if we do buy I think what we need is maybe someone with a bit of experience. I need a creative midfielder and eventually another midfielder, because we are short. "We already have many young players so, if we buy, it will be somebody who is ready to play straight away. A loan deal could also be a possibility. "What we might need is someone who can create a little spark."

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill:
"We are definitely looking at trying to do something if it is at all possible. "I do not know whether the credit crunch has affected the market but this is a chance for all clubs to add to their squads."

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce:
"There have been no bids whatsoever for Roque Santa Cruz. "At the moment I am more focused on getting him fit because I haven't seen him play since I've been here. I'm looking to getting him fit and producing the form he produced last year to get us out of trouble. I'm also more focused on getting players in rather than players out. Certainly my focus over the last two days has been speaking to the chairman about that. "We're both going to go out and try and improve our squad as quickly as possible."

Chelsea manager Luiz Filipe Scolari on his side's transfer policy:
"I knew that it's a different time for Chelsea but, if we suffer more injuries, the board understand that I'll need one or two players to replace some [injured] players. "They understand this. If, on the other hand, the players are in good condition and there are no more injuries, I think it's maximum one player they'll replace because we need one more. Only one. A striker.

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon says transfer activity will be kept to a minimum:
"I don't think we will be doing any business in the January transfer window because the type of players we are looking for are not available. "Another reason is that we have still got some long-term injuries coming back and in January or February, Chelsea will have more player availability."

Everton manager David Moyes:
"We are actively looking at what will make a difference, but I don't think I will be able to do much in January. I am more likely to be looking at loans. "Anything the club have got they will give me. But that doesn't mean to say I am not out there looking for loans or Bosman signings or anything else that can help us. "I don't think we will be selling because we don't have the numbers. We are short at this present time and that limits what I can do off the bench."

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez admits signings are unlikely:
"It will be difficult to bring anyone in January because we have a good squad. "To bring in anyone better than what we've got isn't easy and could be expensive."

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes:
"We're aware of this assumption about the level of finance that we'll throw at the project in January, but we still have realistic market values. "There is also an assumption that we will stimulate the market, that the money sloshing around will be from the deals that we have started, but we have to make sure we protect the club as well. "We're hoping to go into the market and acquire players that we think will help us, but it is still dependent on whether clubs are willing to deal with us or not. "The deals that we do will have to be good ones, but we are quite happy at the moment. We know that there will be a premium that we will probably have to pay because it's January, and teams don't want to lose their better players. "But it will not be to the extent where we are paying hugely over the market value."

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson:
"I do not think there will be any January transfers, I am happy with what I have got. "We are probably going to bring back a couple of young players who have been on loan. That may just give us extra protection. "We took 23 players to Japan (for the Club World Cup) and they are substantial players. I would be happy to play any one of them."

Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear insists goalkeeper Shay Given is not for sale:
"Shay won't be leaving - he has no interest in that whatsoever. He loves the football club - he's part of the city and that suits us because he's a world-class goalkeeper."

Portsmouth manager Tony Adams:
"The board are going to do exactly what they did for [former boss] Harry Redknapp to me, and I had money anyway [before Real's move for Diarra]. I have had new signings in mind since I have been in the job."

Stoke chairman Peter Coates:
"We've got a few things on the go. I think Tony Pulis would like about three players, but I don't want to give too much away. "I do know we'll have a stronger squad at the end of January than what we have now."

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp on his January targets:
"If could find a wide-left player I would like to get one. That and a frontman would be the priority." "I think Portsmouth have had a massive offer from somebody for Jermain Defoe, so good luck to them - I paid about £9m when I signed him. He is a good player but we're not going to pay over the top for anyone. "It's not finished but if they don't want to sell him [Defoe] it's up to them. I am not going to upset the applecart. "If they say 'we'll have that', then we can do something. If they say 'we don't want to sell him' then it is end of story. "I like Stewart Downing but I don't know whether Middlesbrough want to sell him."

West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury:
"We must not be afraid of interest in or bids for our leading players. "Each approach will be considered in terms of fee, fitness, form and where the manager thinks the player is in his career. "We have to consider the will of the player and whether he is committed to what we are trying to achieve. "A bid may be evaluated by the manager as allowing him to significantly improve his team."

(source: BBC, goal)

AIG recently posted a third-quarter of $24.5 billion, prompting the US government to rework the terms of it’s aid to the insurance giant in order to a) extend more money to AIG (another $40 billion, after $123 billion had already gone into buying up AIG equity and b) significantly reduce repayment terms to help stabilise the company and allow it to recover fully (as opposed to collapsing under the current crisis or under the weight of the government handouts).

For Manchester United, the message is clear - if there was any hope that AIG would recover in time to renew their deal as sponsors of the Manchester United shirt, they are now shot. David Gill was recently quoted as saying that United would have no trouble in finding a replacement if the need arose - it’s time for the Manchester United chairman to put that to the test and ensure that a shirt sponsor paying as much (and if possible more) than AIG’s 14m / year deal is brought in before the agreement with AIG ends, or worse, before AIG says they can’t pay their next year’s installment.
The US government has stepped in with a new package of aid for troubled insurance giant American International Group. It comes after the firm - which sponsors Manchester United Football Club - announced third quarter losses of £14.7bn.

AIG made a £1.8bn profit the year before. The rescue package includes a £20.5bn cash injection in return for partial ownership of the firm. Announced jointly by the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department, it takes the sum pumped into the company to around £90bn. As part of the new deal, the Fed is reducing a £51bn loan it had made available to AIG to £36bn. It is also replacing a separate £22.7bn loan to the insurance company with a £31bn aid package. The government said the measures were needed to "keep the company strong and facilitate its ability to complete its restructuring process successfully." The Treasury Department, which is overseeing the rescue operation, has promised to invest £150bn in America's banks to get them lending again.

Until now all of the help provided for AIG was coming from the Federal Reserve.
It said earlier this year it would lend AIG a total of £74bn, then gave it access to a further £12.5bn to help it pay wages and other key expenses. AIG has said repeatedly its kit sponsorship deal with Manchester United will not be affected by its financial woes. The contract, which is worth £56.5m over four years, is the most lucrative in the Premier League.

source: Forbes, Sky

Italian giants AC Milan have confirmed David Beckham will join the club on loan from LA Galaxy on 7th January. The Rossoneri made little secret of their interest in signing the former Real Madrid and Manchester United player following the conclusion of the MLS season.

With Beckham on a lucrative contract with The Galaxy, the Los Angeles club have decided to offset some of that outlay by allowing Beckham to join AC Milan during the close-season.
The news of Beckham's stint in Italy is also a boost for Fabio Capello as it means the former captain of the side maintains his match sharpness ahead of England's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on 1st April.AC Milan's Umberto Gandini has confirmed Beckham will only remain with the club until he is required to return to re-join The Galaxy to train ahead of the new MLS season. "The deal is for as long as David wishes but I think he's committed to MLS and LA Galaxy will bring him back after a couple of months I think," he told Sky Sports News.

Milan vice president Adriano Galliani has confirmed that LA Galaxy and England star David Beckham will join the club in January until the end of the season in a deal that could then become permanent...

Beckham will join the Italian side in January while the MLS season takes a break, and he will stay at Milanello until the end of the European season, possibly then making this a permanent move. "Beckham wants to train and play with Milan," Galliani told Il Corriere Della Sera. We want him. He will arrive in January and we will sign him for the rest of the season. It's not just a shop window deal, it's a great deal. He will be available for Ancellotti for Serie A and the UEFA Cup. Football today is not just about tactics and technical abilities. It's about full stadiums and sponsors. No-one can beat the 65,000 fans we had on Sunday. The stadiums will only fill up with superstars like Beckham who has asked Milan for hospitality, not another club. With him, Kaka and Ronaldinho, it will be a dream team."

The English midfielder is still under contract with LA Galaxy but it seems as if Galliani has concrete ideas already in place as he tries to land Beckham on a permanent deal.

(source: www.current.com)