BAYERN MUNICH are set to sign winger Arjen Robben from Real Madrid. The German side last night announced former Chelsea wideman Robben will undergo a medical this morning before signing a four-year contract.
Bayern’s general manager Uli Hoeness confirmed a fee, reported to be in the region of €28 million, has been agreed and only minor details needed to be ironed out in the morning. Robben could be included in coach Louis van Gaal’s squad to face Wolfsburg at the weekend and may make an immediate debut.
Germany defender Robert Huth joined Stoke City from Middlesbrough for €5.6 million, the Premier League club said. The 25-year-old, with 19 international caps, completed his move from Championship side Middlesbrough after agreeing terms.
The 25-year-old defender yesterday finalised personal terms after undergoing a medical, and he could be followed to the Britannia Stadium by Middlesbrough’s Turkish striker Tuncay Sanli, who is in talks with the Potteries club’s hierarchy, with Stoke expected to pay around €12.5 million for the pair. Huth made his mark in English football at Chelsea where he made 42 appearances before joining Middlesbrough in 2006.
Everton moved to plug the gap left by the sale of Joleon Lescott to Manchester City by signing defender Sylvain Distin from Portsmouth.
Frenchman Distin, 31, has agreed a three-year deal at Goodison Park subject to a medical.
“All the formalities have been completed. After Sylvain made it clear his preferred destination was Goodison the chairman moved quickly to finalise the deal and Sylvain is now on his way to undergo a medical,” chief executive Robert Elstone said.
Everton, who finished fifth in the Premier League last season, have started the new campaign with two defeats and have been unsettled by Lescott’s protracted transfer to City.
Manager David Moyes is also without central defender Phil Jagielka who will not play before October because of a serious knee injury, meaning midfielder Phil Neville has had to fill in at the back.
While it is good news for Everton, Portsmouth have lost another first-team player following the sale of striker Peter Crouch to Tottenham Hotspur and Glen Johnson to Liverpool.
Djimi Traore, Sean Davis, Noe Pamarot and Lauren also left the south coast club, who have been hampered by a long-running takeover saga that was completed on Wednesday when Portsmouth announced United Arab Emirates investor Sulaiman al-Fahim had bought the English club.
Aston Villa have completed the signing of Blackburn defender Stephen Warnock for an undisclosed fee – believed to be around €9 million. Warnock has put pen to paper on a four-year contract which will keep him at Villa Park until the summer of 2013.
The 27-year-old passed a medical and agreed personal terms yesterday afternoon and could come into contention for Sunday’s home Premier League game with Fulham.
O’Neill, who signed Newcastle defender Habib Beye earlier this month, is also set to add Manchester City and Republic of Ireland centre half Richard Dunne to his squad.
Villa have reached agreement with City over the fee for 29-year-old Dunne.
Bolton manager Gary Megson has confirmed the club have made an enquiry about bringing Kevin Nolan back to the Reebok Stadium. Wanderers host Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday with time running out to recruit new signings before the end of the transfer window, and Nolan is top of their wish list.
The midfielder only left in January with a €5.6 million move to Newcastle, but having since been relegated with the Magpies, Nolan’s former employers are eager to offer him top-flight football once again.
Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva could be banned for two European matches if Uefa decide he was guilty of diving to win a penalty against Celtic in Wednesdays Champions League qualifier at the Emirates Stadium. The Brazilian-born Croat went down after poking the ball past Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc, who dived at his feet but appeared to make no contact with the striker, in the first half of their second-leg encounter. The score was 0-0 at the time and the London club eventually won 5-1 over the two legs.
Scottish FA chief executive Gordon Smith said he wanted Uefa to punish Eduardo for what he said was a dive, prompting the president of European soccer’s governing body, Michel Platini, to add his view. Platini told a news conference in Monaco: “There are disciplinary procedures at Uefa and the procedure could be taken to suspend the player.”
A Uefa spokesman said: “We are reviewing the match to see whether a disciplinary investigation should be launched.”
Celtic midfielder Massimo Donati is poised to return to Italy after Bari last night announced they are on the brink of signing him. Bari said the deal will be completed today, with Donati signing a four-year contract.
