Former Inter coach Roberto Mancini, 44, told reporters that news he was joining Real Madrid or Liverpool was mere speculation.

Liverpool are going through a dark patch and manager Rafa Benitez's job looks in peril as Mancini finally settled his contract issue with Inter last week and was immediately linked with a move outside the country.

Asked about the prospect of being hired either by Real or Liverpool, Mancini said: "At the moment there has not been anything, but when you talk about coaches and about a team in difficulty, the names of those who are available always come out."

Hull City chief upbeat on finances

Hull's returning executive chairman Adam Pearson insisted the club is "in no danger of going out of business".

Hull's accounts - released last week, five months behind schedule - showed borrowings of £22 million, prompting accountants Deloitte to predict the Tigers will have to raise £23 million to balance their books.

It is a dire outlook but Pearson, who resigned his post at Derby to return to the KC Stadium, is adamant the club will survive.

He said: "If I felt the club was in imminent danger I'd have thought long and hard about coming back.

"Every problem at this club is solvable."

Hunt rules out England future

Werder Bremen forward Aaron Hunt admits he is "flattered" by rumoured interest in him on the part of Fabio Capello.

The 23-year-old has yet to make his senior debut for Germany and, according to reports, England U-21 coach Stuart Pearce has been keeping tabs on the youngster.

But Hunt, who has an English mother and German father, said that he would always choose Germany if he was forced to make a decision.

"I grew up in Germany and learn-ed to play football here," he said.

"I would of course be flattered by any interest from England, but I have not heard anything about it and it wouldn't even be an issue for me. I only want to play for Germany."

Platini wants to 'protect' clubs

UEFA president Michel Platini has outlined plans to "protect" English teams from spiralling debts.

Platini has often been accused of disliking English football but he insists the measures are designed to help the clubs in the long-term.

And he warned that failure to comply could see them banned from UEFA competitions.

"We have three years to regulate the situation. The idea is not to kill the clubs but to help them have better balances," Platini said.

"The philosophy to participate in our competitions is you must not spend more money than you receive.

"If Man. United have €300 million and they spend 400 - no! If Liverpool pay €60 million (in interest) every year to the banks, it's a lot of money."

Ireland puzzled by dizzy spell

Stephen Ireland feared he was going to die when he was rushed to hospital after complaining of dizziness during a League Cup tie with Fulham. The Manchester City star had no-one near him when he suddenly felt unwell.

He was promptly substituted by Mark Hughes but when his symptoms failed to improve, he was taken to hospital for exhaustive tests.

In the end, no reason for Ireland's strange turn was established.

"Thankfully it wasn't too serious because at the time I thought that was the end of me," he said.

"I have had every test that there is and I still don't know but it was a bit of a strange scare.

It took me a while to get right but I am back on track."

Mihajlovic linked with Catania move

Former Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic met with Catania chief executive Pietro Lo Monaco yesterday, Il Corrierre dello Sport reported.

The Sicilians are currently languishing at the red zone of the Serie A after three consecutive defeats leaving the team and current coach Gianluca Atzori in a precarious position.

Lo Monaco reportedly sounded out Mihajlovic as to whether he would actually like the job at a meeting in Rome.

The Serb, who also spent time as assistant coach at Inter, recently spoke of his desire to take over at former club Lazio.

Last November, Mihajlovic replaced Daniele Arrigoni at Bologna. After a strong start, he was sacked on April 14, following a fourth consecutive defeat.

Kroenke raises Arsenal stake again

American sports mogul Stan Kroenke raised his stake in Arsenal to 29.6 per cent yesterday, edging him closer to the 29.9 per cent threshold that would force him to make an offer for the remaining shares.

Kroenke bought another 427 shares in the Premier League club for 3.6 million pounds, Arsenal Holdings PLC said in a statement to the London Stock Exchange.

He had previously owned 28.9 per cent.

Arsenal, currently third in the Premier League, have been the subject of takeover speculation since Kroenke and Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov began building stakes in the club.

Usmanov owns around 25 per cent of the club's shares.