Soccer Digest

A round up of today's other soccer stories in brief...

Wenger has to wait for Nasri deal to go through

ARSENE Wenger believes Samir Nasri can make an impact "at the highest level", but looks set to have to wait a little longer before completing the capture of the French playmaker from Marseille.

Nasri, who turns 21 later this month, is preparing for Euro 2008 with France, and negotiations over an intended move to Emirates Stadium have taken longer than expected.

It was understood the midfielder, who can play down the centre or on the wing, had been due in England for a medical at the weekend and to put the finishing touches to a four-year deal. However, Arsenal manager Wenger has indicated the formal completion of the transfer may not happen until after the showpiece tournament in Austria and Switzerland.

Lyon winger Hatem Ben Arfa is another said to be on Wenger's summer shopping list, as well as Hamburg midfielder Piotr Trochowski, Zenit St Petersburg's Andrei Arshavin and Valencia forward David Villa.

Liverpool to increase bid for Barry 

LIVERPOOL are to intensify efforts to prise Gareth Barry from Aston Villa by increasing their €12.7 million offer to bring the England midfielder to Anfield.

Their manager, Rafael Benitez, who is hoping to force through the sale of Xabi Alonso to Juventus before the European Championship starts this weekend, has been encouraged by Barry's public admission that he wishes to play in the Champions League and has instructed a second bid for the 27-year-old.

Liverpool had a complex offer of cash plus, in the words of Martin O'Neill, "a mishmash of nameless players in exchange", rejected out of hand by the Villa manager two days before the final game of the Premier League season. The timing of that offer, and particularly Liverpool's willingness to make their approach public, infuriated O'Neill, who aims to retain the captain of his emerging side.

Champions League deals announced

TV3 announced yesterday that it has secured exclusive Irish terrestrial rights to Tuesday night Uefa Champions League matches for three seasons starting September 2009. The deal includes 16 live and exclusive first pick matches, exclusive terrestrial highlights for all Tuesday night matches and delayed rights to all other matches in the competition.

The new deal also includes round three of the Champions League qualifying games and an extra match night in the round of 16.

Meanwhile, RTÉ Sport announced yesterday that it had secured the exclusive Irish terrestrial rights to Wednesday night matches with exclusive coverage of the Uefa Champions League final and the Uefa Super Cup, which amounts to 18 live matches on RTÉ Two from September 2009 until 2012.

Moyes wins action against Rooney

EVERTON manager David Moyes accepted "substantial", undisclosed libel damages yesterday over a "wholly untrue" allegation in Wayne Rooney's autobiography that he leaked details of a confidential conversation with the striker.

Moyes, who sued Rooney, his co-author Hunter Davies and HarperCollins, the publishers of Wayne Rooney - My Story So Far, also received a public apology at the High Court in London. Solicitor Edward Parladorio, for Moyes, said his client was accused of "a serious breach of trust towards a young player under his management".

He said Moyes was accused of leaking the contents of a confidential conversation, during which Rooney stated his intention to leave Everton "and the city of Liverpool by reason of intense press coverage of his personal life", to a local newspaper. Moyes said in a statement yesterday: "I felt that I had no choice but to take action for a full apology and damages. Having accepted these, I do not intend to make any financial gain from this and shall give that to the Everton Former Players Foundation."

Carsley move completed

LEE Carsley has completed his move from Everton to Birmingham after passing a medical.

The 34-year-old Republic of Ireland international agreed a two-year deal at St Andrews last month after turning down a new contract at Everton.

Carsley, who is Alex McLeish's first summer signing and has 38 caps to his name, joined Everton from Coventry in 2002 having previously played for Derby and Blackburn.

Lehmann signs for Stuttgart

JENS LEHMANN (38) will continue his career after Euro 2008 with Bundesliga side Stuttgart after signing a one-year contract with the 2007 German champions.

GRETNA HAVE resigned from the Scottish Football League, the league confirmed yesterday. An SFL spokesman said: "I have this morning received intimation from the Gretna FC administrator of their resignation from the Scottish Football League with immediate effect.

FIFA VICE-PRESIDENT Jack Warner will try to persuade the USA to leave the field open for England's attempt to host the 2018 World Cup by bidding for the 2022 tournament instead.

ASTON VILLA are to replace their shirt sponsor with the logo of a children's charity, it was announced yesterday.

The Premier League club said the decision to promote the work of Acorns children's hospices would help the charity to raise funds and "give something back" to the community.