Pompey seal Crouch signing

Peter Crouch, Liverpool’s England striker, will tie up a £10m move to Portsmouth tomorrow to end his summer of uncertainty. Rafa Benitez, Liverpool’s manager, had hoped to use Crouch as a makeweight in a part-exchange offer for Tottenham midfielder Robbie Keane, but now he must come up with an alternative strategy. It will be second time lucky for Harry Redknapp, the Pompey manager, who failed with a £9m offer for Crouch last month. Former Liverpool winger Harry Kewell yesterday signed a two-year contract with Turkish club Galatasaray, who also hope to prise defender Lucas Neill away from West Ham

Taylor agrees Newcastle deal

Newcastle defender Steven Taylor has ended uncertainty about his future by agreeing a new three-year deal at St James’ Park. Manager Kevin Keegan was desperate to retain the Greenwich-born player who, it is understood, will more than treble his salary to about £35,000 a week, bringing him into line with the likes of James Milner and Charles N’Zogbia, who have recently been awarded improved terms. Newcastle are also being linked with Udinese’s Switzerland international midfielder Gokhan Inler and Rosenborg's 21-year-old Norway international playmaker Per Ciljan Skjelbred

Aragones: I wasn't wanted

Luis Aragones, who led Spain to Euro 2008 triumph only a week ago, revealed yesterday he had decided to join Fenerbahce because the Spanish Football Federation told him he was no longer wanted. The 69-year-old, being presented on Turkish television as the Istanbul club’s new manager, said: ‘If you want to be successful, you have to take some risks. I had to try something new’

MacKenzie's countdown to stardom

Notts County midfielder Neil MacKenzie hasn't won much in football but is a superstar on the TV quiz show Countdown. The 32-year-old is the first professional sportsman to appear on the Channel 4 programme in 25 years, and has already kicked five rival contestants into touch. MacKenzie is back tomorrow needing three more wins to achieve the maximum eight in a row and ‘Octochamp’ status. TV details: Countdown, Monday, Channel 4, 3.25pm

Yobo's kid brother snatched at gunpoint

Gunmen have kidnapped the younger brother of Everton’s Nigerian defender Joseph Yobo. Police say Norum Yobo was taken at gunpoint yesterday, but they had yet to receive a ransom demand

Nasri's Arsenal move is back on

Sami Nasri’s on-off transfer to Arsenal looks to be back on again – at least according to his agent. Jean-Pierre Bernes says he expects 21-year-old Nasri to seal the move when he returns from holiday in ‘about 10 days’. The player’s own website reported last month that a deal had been agreed for the France international playmaker, only for the item to be removed soon after. Since then, Marseilles have signed Hatem Ben Arfa from Lyons – a move that should pave the way for Nasri’s transfer to go ahead

Moyes gets his round in

Everton yesterday confirmed Steve Round as their new assistant manager after reaching agreement with his former club Newcastle United. The 37-year-old Round moves to Goodison after just one season on Tyneside and will fill the No 2 role under manager David Moyes

Barca in new power struggle

Joan Laporta’s five-year reign as Barcelona president could be nearing its end if enough club members vote against him in today’s motion of no confidence. The poll needs a two-thirds majority to force a presidential election in which Laporta’s former aide Sandro Rosell has said he will stand. Barcelona reported earnings of £244m for 2007-08 but failed to win any major trophies for the second season in a row

Hughes factor seals Dunne deal

Richard Dunne, the Manchester City captain, has accepted a new four-year contract to stay at Eastlands after all. The 28-year-old, whose previous deal was due to expire next summer, had been looking for a move following the dismissal of manager Sven-Göran Eriksson at the end of last season, but changed his mind once Mark Hughes stepped in as replacement. Hughes is also reported to be ready to bid for Fenerbahce's £4m-rated Turkey forward Colin Kazim-Richards, formerly with Sheffield United and Brighton

Bolton rule out Barton bid

Bolton yesterday denied they planned to make an offer for disgraced Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton. The player is currently serving a six-month prison sentence for assault, and several reports have linked him with a transfer to the Reebok stadium, but a Bolton spokesman says: ‘At no point has any representative of Bolton Wanderers expressed an interest in, or made an enquiry about, Joey Barton.’ Last week, Barton was also found guilty of assaulting Ousmane Dabo, a teammate at his former club Manchester City, and was given a further four-month suspended sentence

Five charged in Italy fix probe

Five players have been charged over alleged match-fixing in last season's home and away Serie A fixtures between Atalanta and relegated Livorno. Italy's football federation (FIGC) says Atalanta's Gian Paolo Bellini and former Livorno captain David Balleri have been charged with seeking to fix the results of the games on December 23, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and May 4, which Atalanta won 3-2. Livorno brothers Emanuele and Antonio Filippini, along with teammate Alessandro Grandoni, have also been reported for a failure to inform the authorities about the events

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