Chelsea agree to sell Boulahrouz

Chelsea have agreed a deal with German side Stuttgart to sell Netherlands defender Khalid Boulahrouz.

The 26-year-old is expected to join the Bundesliga outfit for a fee of around £4m, two years after joining the Blues from Hamburg for £10m.
Stuttgart boss Armin Veh told Bild newspaper: "He is just the man we were lacking. He is one who is not scared of getting involved when needed."
Boulahrouz spent last season on loan at Spanish outfit Sevilla.
He struggled for form and fitness in Spain but impressed in the Netherlands defence during their Euro 2008 campaign in June.

A statement on the Chelsea website said: "We would like to thank Khalid for his contribution while he was with Chelsea FC and would like to wish him luck at his new club."

Source: BBC SPORT

Romario, Schuey turn down Champs Lge chance

MILAN, July 8 (Reuters) - Retired Brazil striker Romario and ex-Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher have declined an offer to play for San Marino's SS Murata in their Champions League first qualifying round match at home to Gothenburg next Tuesday.

Romario's fellow Brazil World Cup winner Aldair, 42, will play in the first-leg match however.
'On May 23 Romario's father died and he told Aldair that he didn't feel it was right to leave everyone to come and play. It is a shame because we were close to this dream,' Murata sporting director Denis Casadei told Italian media.
He said Germany's retired seven times Formula One world champion Schumacher, a keen soccer player who sometimes turns out for his local club FC Echichens in Switzerland, had also turned down the chance to be involved.
Murata, who have won back-to-back doubles in the tiny landlocked republic near Italy's Adriatic coast, recruited Aldair for last year's Champions League campaign.
However, they were eliminated 4-1 on aggregate by Finnish club Tampere United in the first qualifying round.
Romario, who is also 42, announced his retirement in April after a controversial career in which he claimed to have scored more than 1,000 goals.

Source: ESPN

Fergie gives Ronaldo marching orders to return

Sir Alex Ferguson has ordered Cristiano Ronaldo to return to Manchester United in two weeks to end the ongoing drama over Ronaldo's dream move to Real Madrid, the Daily Mirror reported Saturday.

Ferguson, who was said to be furious at Ronaldo's agreement with FIFA president Sepp Blatter's comments that the star winger was being treated like a slave for not being allowed to leave United, wants Ronaldo to recuperate from ankle surgery under his watch and clear the air about Ronaldo's future at Old Trafford.

The Daily Mail also reported Saturday that Ferguson pulled out of a planned showdown with Ronaldo in Lisbon. The meeting, scheduled for Sunday, would have been the first between manager and player since Ronaldo's move to the Bernabeu became the hot topic during last month's European Championships.



Source:Yahoo!sports.