Injured AC Milan centre-back Alessandro Nesta returned on Thursday from a two-month stay in Miami to say he hoped to be back playing for the club in a month.

Nesta travelled to Florida in early November to see a specialist about a back problem that has been troubling him since July. The 32-year-old has yet to play for Milan this season and he has been sorely missed in an ageing rearguard that has often been exposed. But now the former Lazio defender is ready to return to training at Milan's Milanello complex.

"I'm going to Milanello to start working and when I'm ready, I'll play," he said upon his return at Milan's Linate airport. "I can't wait to get back but I want to do so in a good condition, at my best. "When? Soon I think, maximum one month but I need to work hard physically, I haven't played for eight months and we'll see how I react physically."

Nesta was part of the Italy squad that won the World Cup in 2006 and has played 78 times for his country. He has won the UEFA Champions League twice with Milan and Serie A once each with Milan and Lazio.

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Manchester City have signed Dutch midfielder Nigel de Jong from German side Hamburg for an undisclosed fee, the English Premier League side announced on Wednesday

The 24-year-old, capped 29 times by his country, has signed a four-and-a-half year contract with City, now transformed into one of the world's wealthiest sports clubs under the ownership of Abu Dhabi-based Sheikh Mansour.

City, rebuffed on Monday in their bid to sign Brazil's Kaka from AC Milan for a reported 108 million pounds (100 million euros) - a world record deal if it had gone through - have seen two players join this week with de Jong following former West Ham striker Craig Bellamy to Eastlands.

De Jong missed much of the first half of the Bundesliga campaign with a knee injury but recently returned to training. He had been with Hamburg for three years after joining from Ajax.

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Tottenham have finally won their battle to wrest highly-rated Honduran midfielder Wilson Palacios away from Wigan after the two clubs agreed a fee believed to be around £14.

Wigan had turned down a £10 million offer earlier this month but manager Steve Bruce had been resigned to losing the 24-year-old in the event of Spurs coming back with a higher bid. Palacios followed Bruce from Birmingham to Wigan last year and has since enhanced his reputation with the Lancashire club establishing itself firmly in the top half of the Premier League table.

A statement on Tottenham's website confirmed: "We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement for the transfer of Wilson Palacios from Wigan Athletic.

"Personal terms have been agreed and a medical completed, we now await the Honduran international receiving his work permit before completing his registration."

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Chelsea FC and England midfielder Joe Cole will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery for a serious knee ligament injury.

Cole ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament during Chelsea's FA Cup replay win at Southend United FC in midweek and on Saturday had successful reconstructive surgery. Chelsea have confirmed his absence for the remainder of the campaign.

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari said: "I am very sad for Joe to have suffered this injury and I am disappointed to have lost a very important player for me and the club at such a vital moment in the competition. However, I believe that with his spirit, Joe will come back to Chelsea even better than before."

Cole had made 20 appearances in all competitions this term, scoring three goals. The London club sit third in the Premier League and will play Juventus in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round on 25 February and 10 March.

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West Ham United have accepted a bid of about £14m from Manchester City for their Wales international striker Craig Bellamy who is believed to be travelling to Eastlands for a medical.

The former Liverpool and Newcastle forward has been given permission to speak to the City manager, Mark Hughes, after the club's bid was accepted. A matching offer from Tottenham had been rejected. Bellamy, 29, asked for a transfer to Spurs on Friday but West Ham were unwilling to sell to local rivals and have been angered about the publicity that preceded Tottenham's formal approach.

Bellamy was left out of the West Ham squad that defeated Fulham yesterday when, Gianfranco Zola said, the player was "not in the right frame of mind" to play.

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Manucho (Manchester United to Hull City)

Hull on Friday agreed to take Manchester United's Angolan striker Manucho on loan until the end of the season.

Manucho has made one Barclays Premier League appearance to date for United, who last season loaned him out to Greek side Panathinaikos. Hull still have to secure a work permit for the 25-year-old. The Tigers are also chasing former Liverpool right-back Steve Finnan from Espanyol.


Gael Givet (Marseille to Blackburn Rovers)

France defender Gael Givet has joined Blackburn Rovers on loan from Marseille for the rest of the season, the Premier League side have announced.

Rovers added they had an option to purchase the defender on a full-time basis at the end of the season. Givet, who can play at left-back or in central defence, has been capped 13 times by France but has not played for Marseille this season after falling out of favour with manager Eric Gerets.


Aziza Makukula (Benfica to Bolton Wanderers)

Portugal international Aziza Makukula of Benfica has been loaned to Bolton till the end of the season, Benfica said on Friday, after a move to West Bromwich Albion fell through.

The Portuguese club added, in a statement on Portuguese financial site CMVM, that there would also be an option to buy the 27-year-old striker for five million euros. The West Brom deal did not succeed because Makukula did not want to join a club which was bottom of the Premier League

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Manchester City have opened talks with AC Milan over signing Brazil's playmaker Kaka for a fee that could rise as high as £100 million.

The Eastlands club have sent a delegation, thought to include chief executive Garry Cook and chief operating officer Paul Aldridge, to discuss a possible move with both the Italian side and the player, who could stand to earn a staggering £15 million a year net or £500,000 a week gross.

While City's Arab owners harbour hopes of completing any possible deal before the transfer window closes at the end of this month, sources inside the club believe the move is more likely to go through in the summer.

That view was reinforced on Tuesday when Milan's owner, the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, said he knew nothing of the transfer and revealed that he regards the Brazilian to be untransferable.

He said: "I know nothing about a Manchester City offer for Kaka. I think he's not transferable and given that is the case, he will stay at Milan."

The Italian club's director Adriano Galliani has already indicated that his side, for whom David Beckham made his league debut on Monday against Roma, have finished their activity in the January transfer window, but the Eastlands negotiators will be hoping to open up the possibility of a summer move instead.

If City's mission proves fruitless, either in the short or long term, it will lend the transfer window an even deeper air of anticlimax for the club. telegraph

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Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski is close to joining former club FC Cologne, according to the club's general manager Uli Hoeness.

Podolski has become frustrated with his lack of first team football this season after featuring just 11 times in the Bundesliga, seven off those appearances coming from the bench, scoring three goals. Despite a lack of playing time the Germany international has still managed to represent his country on a regular basis, scoring three goals from four appearances.

The 23-year-old signed from FC Cologne in 2006 for 10million Euros (£8.9million) and now Hoeness admits that the striker is close to agreeing a deal which will take him back to the club where he made his name.

"I'm negotiating with Cologne," Hoeness told TV channel DSF at the team's winter training camp in Dubai. "Next week I'll resume discussions and I think we'll come to some kind of agreement before the end of the month."

Cologne have had a bid of 7.5million Euros (£6.7million) rejected, with Bayern holding out for a figure close to what they paid for his services.

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Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo escaped unscathed on Thursday from a car crash that left his Ferrari a mangled wreck, and will be fit to play in Sunday's Premier League showdown with Chelsea.

His luxury sports car collided with a roadside barrier in a tunnel near Manchester airport as he was driving to training on Thursday morning. A photographer who arrived at the scene shortly afterwards described the Portugal winger's car as a "terrible mess" but Greater Manchester Police said no one had been injured.

"Officers attended and discovered a Ferrari had collided with a barrier," a statement said. "No one is believed to have been injured."

The Portugal international played as a second half substitute in United's 1-0 defeat away to Derby County in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Barring any delayed reaction to Friday's crash, he will be back in the starting line-up for Sunday's match at Old Trafford as United seek to overcome one of their major rivals in the battle to retain the Premier League trophy.

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Jermain Defoe has been cleared to play against Wigan Athletic on Sunday after completing his move back to Tottenham Hotspur from Portsmouth.

Defoe agreed terms to rejoin the club he left just over a year ago earlier in the week and was paraded to fans ahead of the Carling Cup semi-final first leg victory over Burnley but the paperwork was not filed immediately. Defoe has credited Harry Redknapp and the club's fans as the key reasons for his return to White Hart Lane.

"It feels crazy," he said. "Since I left I've been getting texts and everywhere I go I bump into Spurs fans, it's just great to be back. The fans were probably the main factor. I spoke to my cousin and he said 'the fans love you there'. For me it is a strange feeling. When you get that many fans who appreciate what you do, it's hard to find words how I feel about it. I want to start afresh, like it's the first time, and hopefully score a lot of goals."

It is the third club at which manager Redknapp will work with Defoe, after overseeing his development at West Ham and then signing him for Portsmouth. The deal is valued at around £15million, with the delay occurring as Spurs were entitled to an sell-on fee, even though they were also the club buying the player. It is thought that he has agreed a five-year contract.

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Alan Smith hit out as Newcastle agreed to swap him for Middlesbrough striker Mido.

A source said: “Alan’s really angry about this. He has been working hard to regain his fitness and wants to do well at Newcastle.”

Smith, a £6million signing from Manchester United 18 months ago, was never informed the clubs were in talks and found out only last night but he has no intention of quitting St James’ Park.

Newcastle are now threatening that Smith will never play for the club again if he does not accept the move. Smith, 28, sees the attempt to flog him behind his back as a massive slap in the face after spending three months working furiously to get fit following an ankle ligament operation.

The source added: “He is back in training and should be ready for selection by the end of the month. He does not want to go anywhere else.”

Gareth Southgate tried to sign Smith, who can play in midfield or up front, from Manchester United last season but Newcastle, managed by Sam Allardyce, beat him to it when they paid £6m for a player yet to win over the fans.

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Manchester United are set to kick out Carlos Tevez after the hitman admitted: I’d love to play for Real Madrid.

United boss Alex Ferguson is running out of patience with the 24-year-old Argentinian striker, who made it clear yesterday that clubs are lining up to sign him. Tevez’s owner and advisor, Kia Joorabchian, said:

“I don’t know if ‘Carlitos’ will go. It’s difficult to say. Anything can happen. Madrid want him and have showed concrete interest. They’re not the only club. There are many.”

Tevez, still on loan at Old Trafford, is unhappy that United have not opened talks about a new contract, or the possibility of buying him off Joorabchian for £32million. Tevez insisted in yesterday’s Sun that he wants to stay.

But admitting he would relish a move to Madrid is a red rag to United boss Ferguson, who cannot forgive the Spaniards for trying to lure away Cristiano Ronaldo last year. Tevez has just returned from a break and was expected to start in tonight’s Carling Cup semi-final clash at Derby. But Ferguson is now considering playing Danny Welbeck as the lone striker, ahead of a five-man midfield. Fergie has said the club are trying to sort a deal for Tevez but blamed his agent for the delay. TheSun

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England international striker Jermain Defoe is leaving Portsmouth and rejoin Harry Redknapp at Tottenham, the London club said on Tuesday.

Spurs confirmed Defoe, who only left the club last January, will be paraded in front of fans at White Hart Lane before Tuesday evening's Carling Cup semi-final first-leg clash with Championship side Burnley. A fee has been agreed on what is thought to be a five-year contract and the 26-year-old Defoe only needs to clear a medical to clinch the deal. Personal terms have been agreed and the striker will undergo a medical

Jermain Defoe is set to complete his transfer to White Hart Lane a year after leaving the London club. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie had been in talks over the weekend to negotiate a transfer fee in the region of £15 million.

"Personal terms have been agreed and the striker will undergo a medical," a statement from Spurs said.

Tottenham boss Redknapp bought Defoe for Pompey in the 2008 January window and his return had been suggested since the change of manager at White Hart Lane two months ago. He went on a run of eight goals in his first seven games for Portsmouth and has added nine goals this season so far.

Redknapp has prioritised a striker and a left-sided midfielder in the current transfer window, with Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing also subject of a bid from Spurs. Ghana international midfielder Stephen Appiah is on trial at White Hart Lane this week and could sign until the end of the season.

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Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez has risked the wrath of Sir Alex Ferguson by reacting to the manager's comments regarding his contract situation.

Tevez has spent a lot of time on the bench. Tevez, 24, has revealed his disappointment at speculation that he had rejected a new offer from the Premier League champions, and reiterated his desire for his future to be sorted.

''I didn't like him (Ferguson) saying I didn't like the offer I was made because neither my agent nor me were given one." the Argentina international, whose deal runs out in the summer, told Radio del Plata. ''I don't know anything on my future. United know what they must pay if they want me to stay. I want to stay but the club have not made any offer. I've been waiting for them for a year and a half."

Tevez also was on collision course with Alex Ferguson after insisting: I’d love to play for Real Madrid. The striker dropped his bombshell by revealing a desire to join the club that Manchester United boss Fergie despises the most. Tevez admitted in a Spanish magazine:

“Who wouldn’t want to play for Real Madrid? Like Manchester, they are one of the best clubs in the world and it would be a pleasure to play for them.”

New Real boss Juande Ramos is keen on Tevez and the player says he would love to face Barcelona ace and pal Lionel Messi.

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Marseille coach Eric Gerets has said he is confident of landing Swedish veteran Henrik Larsson on loan in the transfer window.

Gerets, who would also like to snap up Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian star Brandao as he seeks to bolster his forward line in the second half of the season, last week identified Larsson, even at the age of 37, as a "true pro" who could spark his side in the second half of the season.

"I hope things will come to fruition in the hours or the days ahead - yes, with Larsson it's possible," Gerets told reporters.

The Swedish international veteran has just finished the season with Helsingborg and Marseille are interested in a six-month loan, rather along the lines of the Swede's arrangement two seasons ago when the former Celtic and Barcelona star had a brief spell with Manchester United.

The French club, fifth in the table six points off leaders Lyon, need a forward badly with Mamadou Niang having fractured his foot. Asked to respond to reports in Turkey linking his side with Galatasaray striker Umit Karan, Gerets said the player would like to join but added he was unsure as to his form.

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David Beckham is set to make his debut for AC Milan in a friendly against Hamburg on Tuesday. Speaking from the squad's Dubai training camp, Carlo Ancelotti, the Milan coach, said:

"He is available and he can therefore play. The past few days he [Beckham] has been working hard and I’ve noticed his commitment to showing that he wants to play for the team."

Beckham has joined AC Milan on a short-term loan from Los Angeles Galaxy as he attempts to extend his England career. LA Galaxy resume competition in March, but AC Milan's first official match of 2009 is Sunday's Serie A encounter against AS Roma.

Ancelotti has indicated that Beckham faces stiff competition from Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf and Brazilians Ronaldinho and Kaka in his bid to play competitive games for Milan.

"I want to play well instead of just play. I love my team Los Angeles Galaxy but for me this is a great experience. Not everyone has managed to play in what everyone considers the best club in the world. I feel lucky to have this extraordinary chance. The training has been tough but I like working hard. I am learning about Italian football and my team-mates are exceptional." said Beckham

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Middlesbrough's England winger Stewart Downing has taken a step closer to joining Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur by handing in a transfer request.

Downing's move came just hours after Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson insisted the 24-year-old would not be leaving the north-east club during January's transfer window. Although he signed a new five-year contract with Middlesbrough in February last year, Downing has grown increasingly frustrated with what he regards as his home town club's lack of ambition.

"Stewart's been frustrated since the summer, really. When he signed his new contract he was assured that there would be significant investment in the squad. He feels that the club haven't matched those expectations. He feels that the club haven't matched those expectations. He's also frustrated that the team is once again struggling in the Premier League. Obviously as a Middlesbrough lad, he's thought long and hard about the decision to hand in a transfer request, and he also hopes the fans will understand his reasons for doing so." Downing's father, Stewart senior, told Middlesbrough's Evening Gazette on Monday:

Boro are understood to want £15 million (16.5 million euros) for Downing with Spurs opening their bidding at only £11 million. Tottenham's initial offer was branded "derisory" by Boro chief executive Keith Lamb, who also told the News of the World on Sunday that Spurs were guilty of hypocrisy when it came to prising players away from their clubs.

"Who on earth do they think they are? They bleated away when Dimitar Berbatov left for Manchester United in the summer but they sold at top dollar. Then they want to snatch other players for derisory offers and try to unsettle players. That is what has happened here. Their offer is a joke. Why would we sell our best players to our nearest rivals? Stewart is going nowhere," said Lamb.

Highlights : The best of Steward Downing - s0 far

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Argentine playmaker Juan Sebastian Veron was officially chosen as the best footballer in South America of 2008, an award that is handed out by Uruguayan newspaper El Pais.

Veron, the captain of Estudiantes de La Plata, beat Juan Roman Riquelme of Boca Juniors by three votes. Riquelme recently claimed the Argentine Apertura Championship with his club. Both players are likely to be taken into consideration by Argentine national team coach Diego Maradona for the restart of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers in March. Veron admitted that such an award is recognized around the world, and that he is very proud of the achievement.

"One is recognized not only by the people at a local level, but throughout the footballing world," Veron told radio Provincia. "This prize arrives in a special moment of my life, because my objective is to always be the best in what I do, and I've always thought in this way."

In third place in the voting was Paraguayan striker Salvador Cabanas of Club America of Mexico, with 19 votes less than Veron. Cabanas won the award in 2007. Internacional playmaker Andres D'Alessandro finished in fourth place, after having played a key role as his club lifted the Copa Sudamericana for the first time. Fifth place went to Liga Deportiva Universitaria goalkeeper Jose Francisco Cevallos, who was detrimental in his team's Copa Libertadores triumph.

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NEWS 1: Premier League champions Manchester United have completed the signings of Serbian footballers Zoran Tosic and Adem Ljajic from Partizan Belgrade. Tosic and Ljajic both attacking midfielders are United's first signings of the January transfer window.

Tosic, 21, will sign with immediate effect and wear the No 14 shirt, while an agreement is in place for 17-year-old Ljajic to remain with Partizan for the rest of 2009. Having personally pleaded for the 21-year-old Tosic's work permit at a hearing in November, manager Sir Alex Ferguson had been frustrated that the move was being held up by the Serbia winger's pay demands and number of agents involved in the deal.

There had been fears that Premier League rivals could hijack the move, but the acquisition was completed within 24 hours of the transfer window opening Thursday. Tosic, who has made 12 international appearances since his debut against Finland in 2007, including at the Beijing Olympics, will join immediately as United looks to close the seven-point gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool with two games in hand.

Ljajic has made just 10 league appearances for Partizan Belgrade since his debut in July, although he underwent a trial at Old Trafford in October when the Serbian club's general manager confirmed Manchester United had been in contact "for some time now". The 17-year-old right-sided midfielder has been nicknamed "Little Kaka" after impressing in Champions League qualifiers for Partizan Belgrade.

It has been suggested United could end up paying around £17 million for the duo, although that figure is likely to be based heavily on future success and the club have refused to comment on the size of an initial payment.


NEWS 2 : Cristiano Ronaldo has treated Alex Ferguson to some New Year cheer by resolving to stay at Manchester United. The moody Portugal winger, 23, said:

“I want to stay here. I feel at home here. I feel very happy here.”

But before boss Fergie starts popping the champagne he should be warned that only one in four people actually stick to their New Year resolutions. And Ronaldo is still very much a target for Real Madrid. There have even been claims that the Spaniards already have a deal to sign him in the summer.

Ron tried to engineer a move to Real last year and accused United of treating him like a ‘slave’. But he insists the disruption was down to the media. He said:

“There’s always speculation, not just about me but about the future of players all around the world. People were speaking about me this summer and what people are saying now is not true. Who says that is a liar. I want to stay here.”

NEWS 3 : Alex Ferguson has offered Leeds a package worth up to £10million for teenage midfield star Fabian Delph.

Manchester United boss Fergie made his move after Fulham steamed in with a £6m bid for the 19-year-old sensation, who is being tipped as the new Paul Scholes. Delph is a combative midfielder with an eye for goal like Scholes.

He has been a regular in the Leeds side this term after captaining the reserves. Fergie has matched the Fulham offer of £6m up front but has added extra incentives related to appearances and trophies that would push the deal close to £10m.

And the Old Trafford boss has also told Leeds they can take two of his own promising youngsters on loan as they bid to get their League One promotion train rolling again. He is prepared to let midfielders Darron Gibson and Rodrigo Possebon switch temporarily to Elland Road.


NEWS 4 : Manchester United forward Carlos Tevez has insisted he is determined to stay at Old Trafford on a permanent basis. The Argentinian is in the second year of a loan deal with the Premier League champions, but that agreement expires at the end of the season and United are yet to offer him a full-time contract.

The 24-year-old has been reduced to a bit-part role this season following the close-season arrival of Dimitar Berbatov, fuelling reports that he is ready to leave England. But the former West Ham United player is confident he will remain with Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

"I am not preoccupied about my future," Tevez told the Daily Mail. "My instincts are to stay with the club and in the next week or so I think there will be more contact with regards to sorting out my contract. That is what we've been told. It is up to the club. Other clubs have asked about me but I see my future at United"

With Real Madrid believed to be ready to pay the £32m transfer fee required to sign Tevez, it would be easy for him to quit, but the forward is determined to fight for his place.

"It has been a complicated season for me, there is no point denying that. I have not been able to get as many minutes on the field as I would like because the quality of the forwards at the club is incredible. It is not easy for forwards to get into this team and I have suffered. But that does not make me want to leave. I have no urge to run away."

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Manchester United are facing the real prospect of losing Carlos Tevez in this transfer window.

The club have still not made his loan deal permanent despite assurances in the summer it would be completed. Now Real Madrid are ready to make their move for the Argentine, 24. Agent Kia Joorabchian, who owns the rights to the striker, will be prepared to do business with Inter Milan also interested.

United have Tevez on a two-year loan with a verbal agreement for a £32million transfer. But United are not sure he is worth that in a deflated market and Joorabchian fears United will pull out in the summer.

As it is, Tevez is unhappy at having to play second fiddle to Dimitar Berbatov.


MEANWHILE, Didier Drogba has been hit with a £100,000 fine by Chelsea for criticising the club in SunSport.

The whining Ivory Coast striker has angered team-mates and Blues officials by claiming he did not get the support he deserves. Now he has been docked a week’s wages after the club ran out of patience with his constant moans.

Drogba claimed the club failed to support him when his grandmother died this year. He also confessed he did not exactly rush back from his knee injury and criticised manager Phil Scolari’s team selection.

His comments have infuriated Scolari and chief executive Peter Kenyon, particularly as the club laid on a private jet so he could return to Africa to be with his grandmother.

Drogba, 30, was yesterday ordered to explain his outburst and told he would lose a week’s wages under an internal disciplinary procedure. And that could spell the end of his 4½-year stay at The Bridge.

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