Croatia Zagreb confirmed yesterday they are expecting to receive payment from Celtic by the end of the week for runaway striker Marko Viduka, who is now on his way back to his native Australia.
The 23-year-old international left Zagreb yesterday morning after discussions between the two clubs to resolve the dispute over the details of his £3 million move to Glasgow.
Parkhead managing director Fergus McCann and financial director Eric Riley are believed to have reached an agreement with Zagreb to pay the chunk of the fee owing to the club and withold the figure due to Viduka himself.
The player is expected to return to Scotland in the new year after recuperating at his family home in Melbourne from the mental stress which forced him to flee Celtic just five days after signing for the club.
The Croatian club had earlier indicated they would refer the case to an appropriate UEFA or FIFA tribunal if McCann refused to pay up.
Zagreb spokesman Goran Bradic said: "Marko will go on holiday until Christmas and then he should play for Celtic." Viduka headed to Kuala Lumpur from Zagreb airport, where he was seen off by girlfriend Ivana, to pick up a connecting flight Down Under.
Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier, set for a big clear-out at Anfield, may end up in a tug of war with Rangers manager Dick Advocaat over the Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Stefan Klos.
Rangers, who were knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Parma on Tuesday, have also shown interest in Klos but Liverpool, eliminated from the UEFA Cup by Celta Vigo, are believed to have tabled an offer for the German already.
Klos happens to be a friend of Liverpool striker Karlheinz Riedle - they were team-mates at Dortmund - and that factor could steer the goalkeeper towards Merseyside rather than Clydeside.
Charlton manager Alan Curbishley could be plunged into another club v country row over the services of goalkeeper Sasa Ilic. Ilic is almost certain to be called up by Yugoslavia for their friendly against Chile on December 23rd where he could gain his first cap.
But Curbishley will be determined not to see his first-choice goalkeeper make the arduous 16,000-mile round trip just before the crucial Christmas period with three games in eight days.
Charlton have already fought and won one battle this season when they forced UEFA to waive the five-day rule before the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2000 qualifier against Yugoslavia in Belgrade, allowing them to field Mark Kinsella and Ilic against Middlesbrough.
Nottingham Forest have signed the Swedish central defender Jesper Mattsson from Halmstad.
Bray Wanderers captain Anthony McKeever yesterday received a further three-match suspension to add to a current four-game ban following his recent sending-off against Shamrock Rovers. McKeever, who had also been sent off in Bray's previous match against Cork City, is thus not eligible to play again until the last weekend in January.
Sligo Rovers' disciplinary problems resurfaced again when Neil Ogden and Jim Shannon, both serving three-match bans, received additional two and one game suspensions respectively following their dismissals in the game with Shamrock Rovers.
Cork City midfielder Patsy Freyne, Shamrock Rovers captain Paul Whelan, Shaun Maher of Bohemians and Monaghan United's Brian Honan are out for three games for reaching 20 penalty points (five bookings) since the start of the season.
Alan Gough, the Shelbourne goalkeeper sent off against UCD recently, and Bray Wanderers midfielder Alan Dodd have received one-match suspensions. Bans are effective from December 22nd.
