Sergio Aguero signs five-year contract with Manchester City

Manchester City have completed the £35m signing of Argentine superstar Sergio Aguero on a five-year deal, the club has announced.

After a whirlwind day of activity, the 23-year-old striker left the Etihad Stadium last night after thrashing out the terms of a contract which is set to be worth £200,000 a week. Aguero is expected to be in the squad for the Dublin Super Cup this weekend and will wear the number 16 shirt for the Blues.

Even before the club confirmed the deal, Aguero was already declaring he was a Blue.

“I’m already a City player. Happy to be in this club and this city. Thank you all for the welcome and the reception!” he wrote on his Twitter account.

Aguero had cut short a family holiday to jet into Manchester from Buenos Aires yesterday morning to complete what will be the biggest move of the summer transfer window.

He was whisked off to the Bridgewater Hospital in Whalley Range for a three-hour medical before heading to the Etihad Stadium where he was greeted by scores of City fans ahead of meeting chief executive Gary Cook and football administrator Brian Marwood.

The £38m fee agreed with Atletico Madrid will make Aguero - who is married to Diego Maradona’s youngster daughter Giannina - City’s record buy, eclipsing the £32.5m the Blues paid Real Madrid for Robinho in 2008.

Match Report: Barcelona 2 - 0 Bayern Munich

Barcelona has clinched the Audi Cup after a straightforward 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.

The star of the show was Barca's emerging star Thiago Alcantara, who struck in either half to condemn the hosts to defeat, in what was an impressive all-round display from the 20-year-old.

The match was a somewhat low key affair despite the 60,000 packed into the stadium; Bayern fielded nine changes from the side that started the penalty-kick win over AC Milan, while Barca shuffled their pack but included the Thiago and Andres Iniesta in their midfield.

It was the Catalan side who enjoyed the majority of possession in the opening exchanges, but aside from a David Villa free-kick that was palmed to safety by Butt and a half-chance for Jonathan Soriano, opportunities on goal were at a premium.

Bayern should then have taken the lead against the run of play as David Alaba raced clear, but he hesitated with his finish, and Victor Valdes did extremely well to spread himself and block the effort.

The Austrian was made to rue that miss as Barca took the lead on 41 minutes. Maxwell's chipped cross into the area found Thiago at the back post, and the young Spaniard leapt higher than Diego Contento to glance his header into the corner.

The flow of play in the second-half was severely disturbed due to incessant substitutions from both sides. Bayern introduced the likes of Toni Kroos, Mario Gomez and Thomas Muller as they sought to peg back the European champions.

However, the new arrivals were left to look on in awe as Thiago all but ended the contest with his second goal of the evening. Finding space at the edge of the area, he expertly curled a shot from all of thirty yards into Butt's top left corner, and took the acclaim from his team-mates after another superb outing.

Barca was able to see out the match from there, and after edging past Internacional on penalties on Tuesday, Pep Guardiola's side ruthlessly clinched the Audi Cup on German soil.

Leicester City Sign Midfielder Michael Johnson

Leicester City has signed Manchester City midfielder Michael Johnson on a season-long loan.

The 23-year-old is Sven-Goran Eriksson's ninth signing this summer.

"Michael was a great talent when I worked with him at Manchester City," he said. "He is a mobile midfielder, who can run, pass, shoot and tackle.

"His talent should have seen that he became a regular for England, but injuries have prevented that, which is a shame for him."

Having finalized terms and completed a medical, Johnson will train with the squad ahead of the Foxes' match against Real Madrid.

Former England Under-21 international Johnson has not played since October 2009 because of abdominal and cruciate ligament injuries and his last start was 13 months before that.

He was a regular for Manchester City under Eriksson, making 25 first-team appearances in the season before his first serious injury, so the Swede is positive about the signing.

"I am convinced that Michael will be an asset for us this season and will put his injuries behind him," he said.

"He has great character and I know that he is going to work hard for us and play well."

Ajaccio Snap Up Duo

Newly promoted Ajaccio has completed the double signing of Brazilian striker Ilan and Sedan wideman Damien Tiberi.

Ilan has signed a one-year contract with an option for a further season and returns to Ligue 1 after an 18-month absence, having spent the latter half of the 2009-10 campaign on loan at West Ham before returning to his homeland with Internacional Porto Alegre.

He has been without a club since parting company with the latter in December.

He told ACA's website: "I had other offers but I made my mind up 10 days ago. I wanted to come here because the contact I had with the coach and the directors was good and I felt they really wanted me to join the club.

"I have already been in contact with several of the players - you know, in football, that everyone knows everyone - though I know some particularly well, such as Thierry Debes, Carl Medjani, Frederic Sammaritano and Fousseni Diawara."

Tiberi, who can operate anywhere up the left flank, has signed a three-year deal with the Corsica-based club and said: "It gives me great pleasure and I am very proud and honoured to wear the Ajaccio jersey.

"My personal objective is to play as many games as possible and gain experience. The aim for the team is to survive in Ligue 1, it will be a difficult season."

Inverness Sign Tudor Jones

Inverness has confirmed the signing of Owain Tudur Jones after Norwich City released the Wales international midfielder from his contract.

Jones could be included in Caley Thistle's squad for Saturday's SPL clash with Hibernian providing the paperwork is completed in time.

The 26-year-old, who has made six appearances for Wales, had joined Norwich from Swansea for £250,000 in June 2009.

A statement on Inverness' official website read: "Caley Thistle has agreed a one-year contract with Welsh international midfielder Owain Tudur Jones with Norwich City manager Paul Lambert agreeing to cancel his registration."

Meanwhile, Caley Thistle's signing of Austria under-21 international Thomas Piermayr is now complete after international clearance was granted.

Chelsea To Move For £30m AC Milan Star

Chelsea are weighing up a bid for AC Milan's Alexandre Pato as they seek to revamp their squad for the new season.

The Blues are currently in the Far East competing in the Barclays Asia Trophy where they beat Hong Kong champions Kitchee 4-0. While Didier Drogba and Daniel Sturridge, impressed during the rout, doubts remain in manager Andre Villas-Boas' mind about the futures of Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou and they could be moved on despite their desire to stay.

Pato has been on the Londoner's radar for the last two seasons and while owner Roman Abramovich's last vanity purchase - £50m Spain international Fernando Torres - is yet to make his mark in a blue shirt, Villas-Boas could be ready to give the green light to the pursuit of the Brazil striker especially after seeing another . The 21-year-old would cost a minimum of £30m but after seeing long-term target Sergio Aguero head to Manchester City, a bid is looking likelier by the minute.

And Pato would certainly be worth the money. An excellent finisher with both feet and potent in the air despite not being the tallest striker around, he found the back of the net 14 times in just 25 games last season after suffering a spate of niggling injuries. AC Milan will not want to lose their star striker but might find a huge offer too good to turn down especially with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho also on their books and attempts being made to lure Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger to the San Siro.

Lugano Set For Juve Talks

Juventus will start talks for Diego Lugano after the defender’s agent reportedly touched down in Milan.

The Uruguay and Fenerbahce centre-back was again linked with the Old Lady earlier this week and a move could be on the horizon.

According to Sky Sport Italia, Juan Figuel has arrived in Italy ahead of a probable meeting with Juve director general Beppe Marotta.

The Bianconeri are in need of a new central defender for the campaign ahead.

Lugano, 30, would be a low cost solution for the Bianconeri seeing as he could be sold for just €3.5m.

Liverpool Attempt Copa America Star Transfer After Work Permit Issues Resolved

Liverpool are set to reignite their transfer pursuit of Diego Godin after the Uruguay international defender won Spanish citizenship.

Atletico Madrid have already sold a number of their best players this summer, with Diego de Gea having moved to Manchester United and Sergio Aguero seemingly set for Man City.

Godin may well join his former team-mates in the north west of England then, as well as his international colleague Luis Suarez at Liverpool.

Suarez is believed to have extolled the virtues of life at Anfield under Kenny Dalglish, and as a result the central defender signing Liverpool fans have craved could soon happen.

The 25 year-old has won 47 caps for Uruguay, scoring three goals in the process, and having gained Spanish citizenship will not require a work permit.

Emmanuel Emenike Set For Fenerbahce Exit

Fenerbahce striker Emmanuel Emenike has been tipped to make a swift exit from the Turkish outfit he joined just two months ago.

Emenike's stay at the club has been tempestuous so far. Initially, reports surfaced that there was a seven-year discrepancy between his real age and the age printed on his passport, and then he was one of the players arrested in the corruption scandal currently plaguing Turkish football.

It seems that the Fenerbahce hierarchy has lost patience with the Nigerian international, with the club announcing to the stock exchange that they are willing to listen to offers for the 24-year-old.

"If an offer comes from an overseas club, then talks will begin over the transfer of Emmanuel Chinenye Emenike."

Emenike moved to Fenerbahce for a fee of €9 million, but the former Cape Town man has yet to make his debut for the side.

Newcastle Snub Blues Offer

Skysports.com understands Newcastle have rebuffed Birmingham's request to sign Nile Ranger on loan.

As revealed by skysports.com earlier this week, Birmingham made an enquiry to land Ranger as they look to solve their striking problems.

Birmingham is short of options in attack, with Nikola Zigic, Marlon King and Cameron Jerome sidelined through injury and Blues boss Chris Hughton was keen to raid former club Newcastle for Ranger.

The Championship outfit, who are thought to be struggling financially, were keen on taking Ranger on a six-month loan.

However, Newcastle has rejected their offer as they will only consider a permanent deal for the 20-year-old this summer.

Ranger, who has also attracted interest from Blackpool this summer, is thought to be surplus to requirements at St James' Park, with the player not figuring in Alan Pardew's plans.

It remains to be seen if Birmingham will come back in for Ranger, with Newcastle hoping to offload the former Southampton youngster before the close of the transfer window.

No Offers Yet For Gary Cahill - Bolton

Bolton manager Owen Coyle has reminded his sought-after defender Gary Cahill to focus on performing well where he is, saying that he has not yet received any offers for the player.

Arsenal is believed to be among the suitors for the 25-year-old who has impressed at the Reebok Stadium since joining in 2008.

But Coyle told Sky Sports News: “I know there is interest from other clubs, nothing concrete in terms of offers, but all these elite clubs know he is an outstanding player so we will have to wait and see what happens with that.”

The former Aston Villa man has started to break into the England national setup during his time at Bolton, having earned his first caps last season.

And his manager is keen to make sure that Cahill is focused on performing to the best of his ability while he remains on the books.

“I think it is well known the belief I have in Gary Cahill, the quality he has, but that's the nature of football,” Coyle said after Cahill scored the second goal in Bolton’s 2-0 pre-season victory over Bury.

“It only takes a phone call for it to all change but I have said to him he is a Bolton Wanderers player, he is well paid by Bolton Wanderers and he has to make sure he is focused to do the job in hand until something was to change.

“He is such an outstanding player that we are very fortunate to have him.”

Cahill has made over 100 league appearances for the Trotters since joining three summers ago.

German Winger David Odonkor Begins Trial At Rangers

Rangers have taken German winger David Odonkor on trial after the 27-year-old was released by Real Betis.

The former Borussia Dortmund player will spend a few days with Ally McCoist's side after an injury-strewn five years in Spain.

Odonkor, who won 16 caps between 2006 and 2008, had several knee operations whilst with Betis.

McCoist signed winger Juanma Ortiz earlier this summer but Rangers are short of natural wide players.

Afellay Quiet On Spurs Link

Barcelona playmaker Ibrahim Afellay is keeping quiet over rumours linking him with a move to Tottenham.

The Netherlands international arrived at Camp Nou from PSV in January but has struggled to force his way into Pep Guardiola's first team.

Spurs are thought to have made the 25-year-old a target this summer, with reports suggesting they have tabled an offer.

And while Afellay insists he is focused on Barca, the Dutchman stopped short of denying that Tottenham have made a bid.

Asked if the speculation was true, he told AS: "Look, if there is anything that is clear it's that rumours are part of football and we must learn to live with them, but now I'm just focused on Barcelona.

"I'm aware (of the reports) because I read the information arriving from England. People call you and say they have seen such a thing."

Afellay, who is tied to a four-and-a-half-year contract at Barca, has also reportedly attracted interest from Juventus and Lazio this summer.

But the midfielder insists he is happy with the European champions and keen to secure more regular first-team action.

"It's perfect. I feel happy. On a sporting level, I hope to express my potential," he added.

"(Playing more) is my intention, of course. I want to play as much as possible."

Park Hopes To Sign Soon

Manchester United's South Korean ace Park Ji-sung hopes to sign his contract extension soon.

After struggling to make an impact during his early years following his move from PSV Eindhoven in 2005, the midfielder has emerged as a key figure in recent seasons at Old Trafford.

Last term he scored the winner against Arsenal, while he was then on target with United's crucial second in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea in April.

So far this pre-season, the South Korean, who has been offered a two-year contract extension, has scored in three of United's four games on their tour of North America.

He is delighted to have proved his worth for the Red Devils and hopes to sign his contract extension soon.

"It's on the table now so maybe, hopefully (we can) get it done quickly," he told Sky Sports News.

"I keep saying I want to stay at Manchester United for more years.

"Hopefully one day we will get together and sort it out."

Some believed his move to the Red Devils in 2005 was a cynical marketing move, designed to sell shirts in the Far East, and Park is delighted to have proved the doubters wrong.

He added: "At first, some said I was selling T-shirts. It didn't hurt. It was my first year and maybe they thought an Asian player could not perform in European football.

"I proved it was the wrong thing to think and I am delighted with that.

"I have proved I can play in European football."

Other Premier League teams are starting to look at South Korea as a recruiting ground, with Bolton having made a home for Chung Yong-lee while Sunderland signed Won Ji-dong.

Park believes there are other compatriots who have the capability to follow his lead.

"More Korean players will come here," he said.

"There are Korean players who have the talent to play in Europe. Hopefully they can come over to play and show how much Asian football has improved."

Cazorla Completes Move

Malaga has completed the signing of Spain international Santi Cazorla for an undisclosed fee from Villarreal.

The Andalusian outfit brokered a deal with the Yellow Submarine on Tuesday and now the 26-year-old has passed his medical and penned a five-year contract.

The midfielder, who will be presented by his new club on August 1, now has a €45million (£39.5m) release clause in his new long-term contract.

No fee has been announced but reports in Spain suggest Malaga will pay around €20m (£17.5m), which would be a club record.

Cazorla becomes the 10th new arrival at La Rosaleda this summer, following the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Joaquin and Jeremy Toulalan, and he will link up with his new team-mates on their current tour to Holland.

The Spaniard, who has 34 international caps, was part of the Spain squad that won Euro 2008, although he missed out on World Cup glory two years later after a season spent battling injury.

Reo-Coker Signs For Bolton

Nigel Reo-Coker has joined Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer, according to reports.

Reo-Coker parted company with Aston Villa at the end of last season after his contract expired, ending his four-year stay at the club having signed from West Ham for £7.5 million in 2007.

The midfielder, 27, scored once in 85 Premier League starts for Villa, and, despite playing on 30 occasions for the Midlands club last season, he was released this summer.

It is reported that Reo-Coker has inked a two-year contract at Bolton after passing a medical and holding talks with Trotters manager Owen Coyle. He becomes the club's second signing of the summer, following on from Darren Pratley's arrival from Swansea.

Velez Sarsfield's Maxi Moralez Agrees Atalanta Switch

Velez Sarsfield star Maxi Moralez is gearing up for an Italian adventure, after agreeing terms with Atalanta.

La Nacion reports that the diminutive No. 10 will fly to Bergamo on Wednesday to undergo a medical and put his signature on the contract with the Italian club. Velez had no choice but to release their star when Atalanta met Moralez's buy-out clause, valued at €4.5 million.

Speaking after his final training session with the Argentine champions on Tuesday, Maxi admitted that he would leave Velez with a heavy heart.

"I am 24 years old and I think the time is right to go to Europe. I had a wonderful time in Velez and I won two titles, I will leave with great memories of the club, the fans and my team-mates," he affirmed.

A product of Racing Club's youth academy, this will be Moralez's second attempt to break into European football, after a move to Russia's FC Moscow failed to work out.

Tevez Closing In On A Move To Inter Milan

Manchester City could complete a like-for-like swap this weekend as Carlos Tevez’s move to Inter Milan nears completion.

Sergio Aguero was in Manchester on Wednesday undergoing a medical before a £38m move from Atletico Madrid and that could signal the end of Tevez’s time at Eastlands.

Tuttosport, a respected Italian sports newspaper, claims that Inter will meet with City bosses this weekend with a view to bringing an end to Tevez’s transfer saga.

The Italian media has repeatedly reported that Tevez’s agent Kia Joorabchian has met with Inter bosses in the months since the former West Ham man announced the wanted to leave the club in December.

City are believed to want at least £40million for their talismanic skipper.

Man United Ready To Make Move For Want-Away Real Madrid Star

Man United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is reportedly preparing a move to sign out of favour Real Madrid star Lassana Diarra after hearing that the French international had failed to report to pre-season training as the La Liga giants training camp at Valdebebas.

The 26 year old midfielder was not selected by Jose Mourinho for the club’s tour of the US and is expected to be allowed to leave as soon as an acceptable offer is made for his services. Ferguson has been a long term admirer of the former Chelsea and Arsenal enforcer and now may well appear to be the right time to make an offer for the £15m rated Parisian.

Man United have already spent out over £50m to bring Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David de Gea from Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers and Atletico Madrid respectively and the good relationship he enjoys with Mourinho may help in Ferguson’s quest to bring Diarra back to the Premier League.

Diarra failed to secure regular first team football at both Chelsea and Arsenal before a move to Portsmouth saw his star rise and after one hugely successful season at Fratton Park the Paris born former Le Havre man was sold to Real Madrid.

Ferguson is looking to further improve his squad as he looks to maintain his stranglehold on the Premier League title as well as challenging for a Champions League triumph. Whilst the Old Trafford boss has a number of central midfield options the likes of Anderson, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher are not out and out defensive midfield options, hence the Man United manager looking at possible additions to fill that role.

The likes of Juventus, Fenerbahce and a number of Ligue 1 sides are said to be keen on Lassana Diarra but a return to the Premier League, where he arguably displayed his best form, may well tempt the defensive midfielder.

Real Madrid To Offer Arsenal £25m Star Striker

Real Madrid will offer Arsenal striker Karim Benzema for £25million as they prepare their move for Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez.

Los Blancos boss Jose Mourinho has decided to move for the City talisman after losing out to the Blues in the race for Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero.

Tevez, 27, has declared his intention to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer because he wants to be closer to his family.

The Argentinian has already seen one £40million bid from Corinthians fall through and has been trying to drum up interest from Inter Milan.

But the Serie A club cannot afford to buy him and pay his astronomical wages, leaving Real with a clear shot to Mourinho’s new number one target.

With Aguero moving to City, boss Roberto Mancini will be looking to offload Tevez so the club does not fall foul of the the new Financial Fair Play rules.

Real will hope to finance the deal by selling Frenchman Benzema to Arsenal for what would be a club record £25million.

The Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is a long-term admirer of the forward and could have plenty of disposable cash available if Cesc Fabregas completes a £40million move to Barcelona.

Mourinho has stated his desire of buying one striker this summer and would love the chance to link Tevez up with Cristiano Ronaldo again, following their days together at Manchester United.