■ENGLAND
Pennant reluctant to move
Liverpool have accepted an undisclosed bid for out-of-favor Jermaine Pennant from Portsmouth, but the former Arsenal and Birmingham City winger is reluctant to move to the south coast. Pennant, who cost Liverpool £6.7 million (US$9.9 million) when he joined them from Birmingham in 2006, has also attracted interest from Real Madrid and AC Milan. But he insists that he wants to stay at Liverpool. “My preference is to stay at Liverpool and I am still hoping to do so,” Pennant said. “There has been a lot of speculation about my future, but I have always maintained my position of wanting to stay at the club. I am happy to compete for my place and hope I am given the chance to do so.”
■GERMANY
City make offer for de Jong
Manchester City have made a bid to buy Netherlands midfielder Nigel de Jong from Hamburg SV, the German club said on Friday. It did not provide any details of the offer, which German media have estimated at around 15 million euros (US$20 million). “City have had contact with us, they have expressed an interest and have submitted an offer,” Hamburg’s sports chief Dietmar Beiersdorfer told reporters at the team’s training camp in Spain’s La Manga. De Jong, whose contract with Hamburg expires next year, confirmed he had received an offer and said he still had two weeks to decide before the transfer window closes. “I have to see what’s best for me,” said De Jong, who joined the Bundesliga club in 2006 from Dutch side Ajax.
■PORTUGAL
Makukula loaned to Bolton
Portugal international Aziza Makukula of Benfica has been loaned to Bolton Wanderers until the end of the season, the top Portuguese club said on Friday, after a move to West Bromwich Albion fell through. The Benfica club added, in a statement on Portuguese financial site CMVM, that there would also be an option to buy the 27-year-old striker for 5 million euros (US$6.6 million). Benfica said: “An agreement has been agreed with Bolton for the loan of Aziza Makukula until the end of the season, an agreement which also has an option to buy for 5 million euros.” The West Brom deal did not succeed because Makukula did not want to join a club that was bottom of the Premier League.
■ENGLAND
Manucho joins the Tigers
Manchester United striker Manucho is joining Hull City on loan for the rest of the season. The 25-year-old Angola international, who spent part of last season on loan at Panathinaikos, has made one Premier League appearance for United. Hull, who have scored just three goals in their last six matches, secured a work permit for Manucho and put him in their squad for yesterday’s Premier League match against Arsenal. The Tigers also remain hopeful of completing the signing of former Liverpool right-back Steve Finnan from Espanyol.
■ENGLAND
Stanley keeper arrested
Accrington Stanley goalkeeper Ian Dunbavin has been arrested, police said on Friday, in connection with the bar brawl allegedly involving England international Steven Gerrard. Gerrard is accused of assaulting DJ Marcus McGee, who then claimed people accompanying Gerrard hit him while he was on the ground. Liverpool midfielder Gerrard is on bail having being charged with assault in a Southport bar on Dec. 29. He appears in court on Friday. Gerrard could technically face up to five years in jail for the offense.
US national team star Folarin Balogun was among the scorers as AS Monaco on Friday won 3-1 at Paris Saint-Germain, dealing a blow to the side from the French capital before they face Chelsea in a crunch UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie. Maghnes Akliouche gave Monaco a first-half lead at the Parc des Princes, and Aleksandr Golovin doubled their advantage early in the second half of the French Ligue 1 clash. Bradley Barcola pulled one back for the reigning European champions, but Balogun struck shortly after with a fifth goal in his last five games as Monaco claimed a precious
West Ham United on Monday advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 5-3 penalty shoot-out win against Brentford, who paid the price for Dango Ouattara’s spot-kick blunder. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side twice blew the lead as Jarrod Bowen’s double was canceled out by an Igor Thiago brace to force extra-time in the 2-2 draw at the London Stadium, but in the shoot-out, Brentford winger Ouattara attempted a chipped Panenka penalty, but his woeful effort was straight at West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. It was an awful mistake by the Burkina Faso international and West Ham took full advantage. Bowen, Valentin Castellanos, Callum
Teenage star Lamine Yamal’s superbly-taken goal on Saturday earned Barcelona a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in Spanish La Liga. The champions restored their four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, who had on Friday temporarily closed the gap by beating Celta Vigo. Atletico Madrid tightened their grip on third with an entertaining 3-2 win over Real Sociedad. Yamal, 18, curled into the top corner after 68 minutes to split the sides at Athletic’s San Mames stadium. “We’re already seeing what Lamine can do — he puts it right in the top corner, and there’s nothing the keeper can do,” Barca
Thanks to Italy beating Mexico on Wednesday, the US get another chance in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). What looked like a potentially disastrous early exit for US manager Mark DeRosa and his team turned out to be nothing more than substantial worry and significant embarrassment for about 24 hours. It remains to be seen whether the US really want to win badly enough for the reprieve to matter, as if it is just a switch they can flick, but there is little reason for their fans to be optimistic. The team’s attitude and behavior have been all over the place when
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