Babbel replaces Funkel at Hertha

Unhappy Real Madrid striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is poised to sign for AC Milan, Gazzetta dello Sport claimed Thursday.

AC Milan annonced Wednesday they were on the lookout for a top class striker and, says the report, will pay 15 million euros for the Dutchman who would be given a contract until 2013 with an annual net salary of three million euros.

Huntelaar, who will turn 26 years old on August 12, finished as the Dutch league s top scorer with 33 goals in 2007-2008 when he played for Amsterdam giants Ajax.

He then moved to Real on a four-and-a-half-year deal in December 2008 for a fee of 27 million euros but since then he has played only 19 matches for a return of eight goals.

Last month Huntelaar tried in vain to get out of his contract with Real in …

Napoli have seen their two-point deduction over a match-fixing scandal erased, while Paolo Cannavaro and Gianluca Grava had bans overturned.

The Italian side had been fined 70,000 euros and seen their points tally this season reduced by the Disciplinary Commission due to Matteo Gianello s attempt to fix matches.

The former Napoli goalkeeper was banned for three years and three months in 2012, after claiming he offered to fix their clash with Sampdoria in May 2010.

Cannavaro and Grava were given half-year sentences to sit on the sidelines for not reporting being approached by Gianello ahead of the game, but they insisted such a conversation never occurred and the defensive veterans have been cleared on appeal.

The Federal Court s decision means the Neapol…

Ravel Morrison s absence from Lazio relates to personal matters and is not a breach of discipline, the Serie A club have confirmed.

Reports in Italy emerged claiming the former West Ham midfielder had failed to show up for team meetings, and was refusing to return to Italy from London in a bid to force through a move away from the club in January.

However, Lazio released a short statement on Friday explaining that Morrison s return home was to deal with personal issues.

Lazio announce that contrary to what was reported by the media, Ravel Morrison is in England for personal matters duly authorised by the company, it read.

Morrison, a former England Under-21 international, has developed a reputation as something of a difficult character to manage during h…

Alfredo Morelos scored the only goal of the game as below-par 10-man Rangers defeated Alashkert 1-0 in the first leg of their Europa League play-off tie at Ibrox.

The Colombian struck in the second half to give Steven Gerrard s men a lead for the return tie in Armenia, despite John Lundstram seeing red shortly before the break.

Save for a Ryan Kent effort that hit the crossbar, Rangers struggled to turn possessional dominance into chances in the opening period.

Lundstram s red for two sloppy yellow cards left the hosts a man down and Calvin Bassey s claims for what would have been a soft penalty summed up a shoddy first-half effort from Rangers.

Scott Wright also felt he was felled in the area by Rumyan Hovsepyan early in the second half before Morelos sa…

UEFA have appointed Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai for the Champions League semi-final first leg between Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

Kassai has built a good reputation in recent years, officiating at both Euro 2012 and the 2010 World Cup, and became the youngest man to referee a top-flight game in Hungary at the age of 23 in 1998.

The 37-year-old will be assisted by an all-Hungarian team, including Gabor Eros, Gyorgy Ring, Robert Kispal and Tamas Bognar – all of whom were officiating when Barcelona overcame Manchester United 3-1 in the 2011 final at Wembley – while Mihaly Fabian completes the line-up.

In addition to the 2011 final, Kassai also refereed Barca s 4-0 Champions League last-16 win over AC Milan in March.

The Hungarian took charge of last…

Montpellier chairman Louis Nicollin insists former captain Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa will return to the club.

Yanga-Mbiwa, 24, left for Newcastle United in January, agreeing to a five-and-a-half year deal with the English Premier League club.

The France international defender, who moved for a reported €8million, should never have left the Ligue 1 side, according to Nicollin.

He followed the advice of his agent and he was wrong to leave, Nicollin said.

Montpellier, the 2011-12 Ligue 1 champions, sit eighth this campaign despite a thumping 5-1 win over Lyon before the international break.

Goals have not been a problem, but their defence has – conceding 12 goals in nine league games with what is the worst record of the top 10 sides.

Those defe…

Thierry Henry is confident he can become a managerial success, despite being sacked three months into his first job as head coach of Monaco.

The 42-year-old was suspended and then dismissed by the Ligue 1 side in January after a run of four wins in 20 matches.

He had previously worked as assistant to Roberto Martinez with the Belgium national team before making the transition into management.

Seven months on from leaving Stade Louis II, former Arsenal striker Henry has targeted a return to the sport and revealed he has already received a number of offers.

Happy Birthday to , a winner for all seasons.

— Ligue1 English (@Ligue1_ENG)

Call me crazy if you want, but I love football and I still believe I can be a successfu…

Grimsby chairman John Fenty has revealed that Hope Powell has not applied for their vacant managerial position.

The England women s coach was reported to be among those in contention to replace the ousted Mike Newell at Blundell Park.

Powell has held her national post since 1998 and led her side to the final of the 2009 European Championships this summer.

No woman has ever managed a professional men s football team in Great Britain, but the League Managers Association had vowed to support Powell had she moved for the Grimsby job.

However, she appears to be out of the running as Fenty has heard nothing from her.

I have never spoken to the lady, he said.

She hasn t put an application in so we can hardly consider her.

Former Grims…

Jordan Ayew has joined Crystal Palace on a season-long loan from Swansea City.

The Ghana international scored seven Premier League goals last term as the Swans were relegated to the Championship.

Ayew, 26, also suffered relegation in the 2016-17 season, when he was playing for Aston Villa.

I am very pleased to be here. It s been a long transfer window but finally I got a move, Ayew told the Palace website.

The important thing for me now is to get fit and to be in good shape, and I know the manager wants to use me up front and make things happen.

The manager, chairman and sporting director all made an effort for me to be here today, so I have to thank them. I am looking forward to playing with the boys and meet the fans, and hopefully it ll be a…

Manchester United are interested in signing Jarrad Branthwaite from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that United are looking at young players for the future, and that Branthwaite is on their radar.

Branthwaite is one of the best young centre-backs in the Premier League and is playing regularly for Everton at the moment. The 21-year-old has scored one goal in 20 appearances in the Premier League so far this season. The centre-back has also made three appearances in the EFL Cup and has played three times in the FA Cup.

Manchester United are sixth in the Premier League table at the moment with 38 points from 23 matches, eight points behind Aston Villa in fourth-placed. Meanwhile, Everton currently fin…