Manchester City signed Bulgaria winger Martin Petrov from Atletico Madrid on Thursday in a ?4.7 million (US$9.6 million) three-year deal subject to a British work permit.
The 28-year-old Petrov has already passed a medical exam. Petrov has also played with CSKA Sofia, Servette in Switzerland and German club VfL Wolfsburg.
"Unsurprisingly given the caliber of the player, there were a significant number of clubs competing for Martin's signature, and I am absolutely delighted that he has come to Manchester City," City chief executive Alistair Mackintosh said. "Having Sven-Goran Eriksson as our manager proved to be a major factor in the player's decision to move here."
Petrov has played more than 60 times for Bulgaria.
He is set to be the fourth signing for new Man City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, following Rolando Bianchi, Gelson Fernandes and Geovanni.
Paul Scholes is recovering from a knee operation, but should be back on the pitch next month.
The 32-year-old Scholes left Manchester United's preseason tour in Asia on Monday after hurting his knee. Manager Alex Ferguson said on Thursday he hoped to have Scholes back in three weeks -- in time for the Manchester derby on Aug. 19.
"Paul's exploratory operation was 100 percent good news," Ferguson told United's Web site. "There was just some bruising on the cartilage. He will be back in three weeks. He's had his preseason and a few games, so I won't worry about that."
Bolton have agreed to sign Sweden winger Christian Wilhelmsson on a one-year loan deal.
Bolton manager Sammy Lee said on Thursday the deal would be completed this week.
"We have been working on this deal for some time and our patience has paid off," Lee said. "He is a versatile winger and will add a new dimension to our new style of play we are going to implement this season."
Wilhelmsson will join from French club Nantes and has also played with AS Roma in Italy and Belgian side Anderlecht. He has played 40 times for Sweden.
Leeds will start the League One season without a goalkeeper unless their transfer embargo is lifted.
The club needs special dispensation from the Football League to add players to the squad, following problems surrounding the club's ownership.
Deals have been lined up for Brondby goalkeeper Casper Ankergren and Watford's Scott Loach but they cannot sign while the embargo remains.
"I hope we can sign someone -- if not I am not sure who will play there," Leeds assistant manager Gus Poyet told the BBC on Thursday.
The Football League has withheld the "golden share" from Leeds that allows a club to play in the League Championship, League One or League Two. It wants further assurance about the legality of the sale of the club to Ken Bates on July 11.
Leeds players have not been paid for seven weeks. The players agreed to a wage deferral when Bates placed Leeds in administration on May 4 with debts of ?35 million.
"As everyone knows, one of our problems is that our players have not been paid, although it looks like they are going to be paid very soon," Poyet said. "The other is that we cannot sign players and that is a problem. We want to add to our squad and we don't have a goalkeeper attached to the club."
Leeds, who reached the 2001 Champions League semi-finals, were relegated to the third tier of the English league in May after finishing bottom of the Championship following a 10-point deduction for going into administration.
The transfers of Tottenham players Mido Ahmed and Hossam Ghaly to Birmingham look to have fallen through.
"You could say that both deals have been stuttering a bit," Birmingham manager Steve Bruce said on Thursday. "But the Mido one is a million miles away from happening."
Birmingham agreed to pay ?6 million for Mido on July 20, dependent on personal terms. Mido's Egypt teammate, Ghaly, was also set to join the newly promoted club.
"There are a few issues," Bruce said. "It is a big blow and I have felt better. It looks as if we are really struggling with the Mido deal and I might have to look elsewhere. As for Ghaly, it is faltering a little but I am still hopeful of reviving that deal. I haven't given up hope."
Middlesbrough signed defender Luke Young from Charlton on Thursday on a four-year deal worth ?2.5 million.
The 28-year-old Young, who has played seven games for England, will be the third player to join Middlesbrough this offseason.
He joins striker Tuncay Sanli and forward Jeremie Aliadiere, while defender Jonathan Woodgate converted his loan deal from Real Madrid into a permanent transfer.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later