- soccer sports summary -

on December 29, 2009 / SERIE A / SOURCE : http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11854_5807809,00.html

Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu's agent is not ruling out a January move after the Romanian was linked with a switch to West Ham United.
Mutu is currently nearing full fitness following a knee injury and is reportedly a target for the Hammers as Gianfranco Zola looks to lead the club away from a relegation battle.
The former Chelsea flop is under contract to Fiorentina until 2012, but may have to consider a New Year move to ease his own financial concerns.
The 30-year-old must pay Chelsea £14.6million as a result of his sacking by the Premier League club in 2004 when he tested positive for cocaine.
His representative Giovanni Becali admits Mutu's monetary problems require a solution, despite his happiness at Fiorentina.

on December 29, 2009/ SERIE A / SOURCE : http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11854_5808002,00.html

Stefano Okaka's agent has denied reports Portsmouth have made an enquiry over the availability of the Roma striker.
Fratton Park boss Avram Grant is eager to bolster his squad in the January transfer window with Pompey still stuck at the foot of the Premier League table.
Okaka could find his playing time in the Eternal City reduced by the expected arrival of Luca Toni from Bayern Munich.
And his agent Domenico Scopelliti admitted that he will hold talks with Claudio Ranieri in the coming days to determine what the future holds for his client.
Scopelliti told tuttomercatoweb.com: "Portsmouth has not requested Okaka, but if Luca Toni really arrives, Stefano could move.

on December 29, 2009 / SERIE A / SOURCE : http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11854_5808191,00.html

Andrea Dossena's agent has once again revealed Napoli and Roma are interested in the Liverpool defender.
The 28-year-old left-back has been frozen out at Anfield this season and constant speculation has linked him with a January move back to Serie A.
The Italy international has in the past spoken of his desire to leave the Merseyside club in order to get some first-team football under his belt and ensure a place in the Azzurri squad for the 2010 World Cup.
Dossena's agent Roberto La Florio played down speculation linking the defender with a move to Russian side Zenit St Petersburg, although admitted Napoli and Roma remain interested.
Dossena has had a difficult 18 months at Anfield since moving from Udinese and was tipped to secure a switch back to Italy over the summer.
A deal with Napoli broke down amid suggestions that personal terms could not be agreed but president Aurelio De Laurentiis has made no secret of his interest.

on December 29, 2009 / EPL / SOURCE : http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_5808296,00.html

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been handed a number of injury boosts ahead of the game against Wigan.
United have been beset by injury problems in recent weeks, most notably in defence, but are expected to see the return of a number of players when the Latics travel to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Wednesday.
The Red Devils are five points behind Chelsea at the top of the table with a game in hand, and Ferguson will be hoping his returning stars can close the gap with a win against Roberto Martinez's side.
Gary Neville is now available for tomorrow (Wednesday) night, we're still hoping to have (Jonny) Evans and (Rio) Ferdinand back soon," he said.
(John) O'Shea may be a bit longer. Paul Scholes missed the game on Sunday, he got a kick in the hip in training so he missed the game but he should be available for tomorrow.
Anderson will be available. Nani, of the forwards, is not available, he's still injured.

on 28/12/2009 / EPL / SOURCE : http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_5807825,00.html

Carlo Ancelotti is confident Premier League leaders Chelsea can cope with Didier Drogba's absence during the African Cup of Nations.
Drogba marked his final appearance for the Blues before linking up with the Ivory Coast by scoring the equaliser in Monday's 2-1 home win over Fulham.
The striker has netted 19 goals for the Blues this season and, with compatriot Salomon Kalou also heading off for the tournament in Angola, Ancelotti has been left with just Nicolas Anelka as a senior front man.
Anelka is currently recovering from a minor injury, but Ancelotti is happy to put his faith in rookie forwards Daniel Sturridge and Fabio Borini.
Ancelotti has ruled out any forays into the transfer market and believes Chelsea's performances in the UEFA Champions League have shown they can win games without Drogba.

on December 29, 2009 / CHAMPION LEAGUE / SOURCE : http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=718665&cc=4716

Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo is targeting a dream Champions League final - victory over Barcelona at the Bernabeu.
The two Spanish clubs, who are tussling it out at the top of the Primera Division, are both in the last 16 of Europe's premier club competition.
And Ronaldo would love nothing more than to dethrone Madrid's bitter rivals on his own turf.
Ronaldo spent around two months on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury during a Champions League clash at Marseille back in September. Since his return he has scored four goals in as many games and the 24 year old hopes he has put his injury woes firmly behind him.
Madrid are two points behind Barca in the standings, and seven ahead of third-placed Sevilla. And Ronaldo sent out an ominous warning to the rest of the Spanish league.

on December 29, 2009 / EPL / SOURCE : http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=718653&cc=4716

Real Madrid have moved to quash rumours that they have been approached by Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan with a €1 billion offer to buy out the Spanish giants.
The La Liga outfit on Tuesday insisted that there was no chance the club would be sold by president Florentino Perez, and the pair have simply been friends for years.
"Real Madrid wishes to inform: that Real Madrid president Mr. Florentino Perez has had a great friendship for many years with His Highness, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan,'' read a statement on the club website.
Sheikh Mansour's Abu Dhabi team Al Jazira Club have a twinning agreement with Real, which was established in in 2005.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009