N’Zogbia: Birmingham manager Alex McLeish revealed yesterday that his club have made an improved offer for Wigan midfielder Charles N’Zogbia. McLeish has been keen to land N’Zogbia for several months and has increased his bid for the France star after an initial offer, believed to be around eight million pounds, was rejected earlier this month.

Aquilani: Liverpool’s Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani yesterday completed a free loan move to Juventus for a season with an option to buy, the Serie A club said. Agreement was reached after a prolonged medical visit carried out over two days given all the injuries which hampered the player last season.

Olympiakos: Spanish mid­fielder Moises Hurtado has signed a three-year contract with Olympiakos, the Greek club announced yesterday. No financial details of the contract were revealed by the team. Hurtado, 29, has played for Espanyol since 1999 and was given on loan to Eibar for one season (2004-2005).

AEK Venue: AEK Athens will host today’s Europa League play-off second leg against Dundee United at the Karais-kakis Stadium, home of arch-rival Olympiakos. For the last few days AEK have been looking for a stadium to host the Scottish Premier League side after the Olympic Stadium in Athens, where they play their home matches, was deemed unfit for the match due to the poor condition of the pitch.

Taylor: Newcastle defender Steven Taylor has been put on the transfer list after failing to agree a new contract. Taylor’s current deal expires at the end of this season and, with no progress in negotiations over a new contract, the Premier League club have decided to cash in on the centre-back now rather than risk losing him on a free transfer next year.

Gago: Real Madrid’s Argentine midfielder Gago will be sidelined for at least a month through injury, the club said yesterday. Gago suffered a “sprain to the internal lateral ligament of his left knee”, Real said in a statement.

League Cup: Second round – Accrington vs Newcastle 2-3; Everton vs Huddersfield 5-1; Fulham vs Port Vale 6-0.

Carlsberg Tournament: Hibernians 6 (Xuereb, Caruana 2, McManus, Grech, Kristensen) Qormi 1 (Camilleri); Birkirkara 3 (Galea 2; Lattes) Marsaxlokk 1 (Alcorse).

Friendly: Barcelona vs Milan 1-1 (Barcelona win 3-1 on penalties).

Basketball, NBA: China’s Yao Ming, who missed last season with injuries, returned to the court on Tuesday after doctors gave him the green light to play basketball again. The Houston Rockets star underwent surgery on his left foot last year and on Monday, team doctor Tom Clanton said it was fully healed, clearing the way for Yao to resume practices with the NBA team. “I am very excited,” Yao said. “I am just looking forward to playing a great season. I think I can count on my foot now.”

Athletics: Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt has renewed his contract with German sportswear giant Puma until the end of 2013. Puma said that while the specific terms of the contract were undisclosed, the deal would make the reigning 100m and 200m world record holder and double world and Olympic champion in both those events the best paid on the circuit. The German company first signed with the Jamaican in 2003 when he was just 16 years old.

Tennis: Serena Williams’ loss is Caroline Wozniacki’s gain as the Danish player has been named the top women’s seed for the US Open which begins on Monday. Wozniacki, the runner-up at Flushing Meadows last year, is the first woman since 2003 to be seeded No. 1 at the US Open without already having won a major championship. Defending champion Kim Clijsters was seeded No. 2. Venus Williams, the 2000-01 US Open champion, is No. 3, followed by 2008 runner-up Jelena Jankovic and Sam Stosur.

Commonwealth Games: World 800m champion Caster Semenya was yesterday added to South Africa’s team for the Commonwealth Games, boosting her comeback after the sex test ordeal that saw her barred from competition. The 19-year-old has run and won three races since being cleared to compete last month by the IAAF, the sport’s governing body, following a controversial enquiry into her gender that saw her sidelined for almost 11 months. “I’m very happy to see the return of Caster Semenya to duty for South Africa,” Gideon Sam, president of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, said.

Cycling: Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck, who finished second in the Tour de France, will not take part in the UCI road world championships, his country’s cycling federation announced. Schleck is preparing for the Tour of Spain which kicks off in Seville on Saturday and runs through until September 19, and also hopes to race the Tour of Lombardy in Italy on October 16. The road worlds run from September 29-October 3 in Melbourne, Australia.