Football news

Hamburg striker Ivica Olic will join Bayern Munich in the summer.

General manager Uli Hoeness confirmed to the club's website (www.fcbayern.de) yesterday that the 29-year-old Croatia forward will switch to Bavaria on a three-year contract on July 1.

"We have reached an agreement. It lacks only the signatures on the contract," Hoeness said from Dubai, where Bayern are on a winter training camp.

Olic looks set to replace striker Lukas Podolski who has openly stated his desire to leave the German champions.

Milan target Mexican Guardado

Serie A club Milan have stepped up their search for a reliable left back and are set to make a bid for Deportivo La Coruna defender Andres Guardado.

The 22-year-old Mexican international can play either in defence or on the left side of midfield and has already hinted that he would welcome a move to a big club.

"In the summer I would like to evaluate the options that are opening up for me with regards to playing for a big club," Guardado tolda La Opinion.

Guardado made his international debut after only nine top-flight games in Mexico and was in the 2006 World Cup squad.

N'Zogbia dreams of Arsenal move

Charles N'Zogbia has reiterated his desire to leave Newcastle and admits he would love to join Arsenal.

The French international has become unsettled on Tyneside in recent months and has been strongly linked with a move away from St James' Park.

N'Zogbia insists he wants to win silverware and that is not something he can achieve with Newcastle. "I am used to English football, so my priority is to stay here," N'Zogbia said.

"At Newcastle for three years we are playing in the bottom of the league. I want to win titles, and I have set myself high objectives, like being in the French team.

"Arsenal is certainly a club that makes me dream the most in the Premier League."

O'Neil targets Pompey return

Middlesbrough midfielder Gary O'Neil is set to hand in a transfer request in the coming days. The 25-year-old joined Boro in January 2007 in a £5 million deal from Portsmouth.

Despite becoming a firm fans' favourite on Teesside, O'Neil has never settled in the North East and was linked with a move back to Portsmouth earlier in the summer.

Portsmouth have now made moves to sign O'Neil and made a bid earlier this week, only for Boro to shun their offer.

O'Neil is ready to hand in a transfer request to try and push through a deal back to Fratton Park.

Aguero wants to stay at Atletico

Sergio Aguero has expressed his desire to stay at Atletico Madrid for the remainder of his career.

Aguero joined the La Liga outfit in the summer of 2006 for £15 million from Independiente. The striker has become one of the most feared in Europe after forming a formidable partnership with former Manchester United player Diego Forlan.

"The club reached an agreement with IMG, the company that manages me, to extend my contract until 2012." he said. " I will stay here for a long time, and I'm really happy about that.

"I'm enjoying it here and I never want to leave, because Atletico was the first club to welcome me in Europe."

Kinnear targets Ferguson swoop

Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear has admitted that he would like to sign Scotland midfielder Barry Ferguson.

The Magpies have made an inquiry about the 30-year-old, who underwent ankle surgery last year, as Kinnear attempts to bolster his squad ahead of the second part of the season.

"I have enquired about Ferguson, but we will wait and see what the outcome of that is," Kinnear said. "We are finding it difficult to bring certain players from clubs. Our bids haven't been accepted so far.

"It would help if I could move some of the players here and get the finances in that way. But we have had no bids for them."

Italy host Ireland in Bari

Italy will host their World Cup qualifier against Giovanni Trapattoni's Ireland on April 1 at Bari's San Nicola Stadium, the Italian Football Federation said.

Italy, who visit Montenegro four days before the match, lead Group Eight with 10 points from four games. Ireland are three points behind in second spot after two wins and a draw under former Azzurri manager Trapattoni.

The Irish have home matches against Georgia and Bulgaria on Feb. 11 and March 28 respectively before visiting the world champions in the southern Italian city.