IN BRIEF (Page 24)
Soccer
Bayern sign World Cup golden boot Klose
MUNICH: Bayern Munich signed striker Miroslav Klose from Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen yesterday, taking their close-season spending spree to around 70 million euros ($94.22 million).
Klose, top scorer at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, will take part in his first training session as a Bayern player on Friday, the club said in a statement.
The 29-year-old Germany striker joins for an undisclosed fee after Werder agreed to sell him with a year left on his contract.
Toure completes move from Monaco to Barcelona
MADRID: Barcelona completed the signing of Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure from Monaco on a four-year contract yesterday.
The 24-year-old passed a medical in the morning to seal a move Spanish media reported to be worth over 10 million euros ($13.46 million).
He is the Primera Liga club's second signing after the arrival of French striker Thierry Henry for 24 million euros ($32.30 million) on Monday and will help add some strength to a midfield which looked lightweight a times last season.
Inter complete signing of Cagliari striker Suazo
ROME: Inter Milan's pursuit of striker David Suazo finally came to an end yesterday when the Italian champions signed the Cagliari player on a four-year deal.
The completion of the 27-year-old's long-running transfer saga, which had become a source of tension between Inter and city rivals AC Milan, was announced in a statement on the club's website (www.inter.it).
The statement did not say how much Inter had paid for the Honduran international.
Inter seemed to have secured Suazo's services two weeks ago when Cagliari president Massimo Cellino said he had reached a deal with the champions.
But Cellino, frustrated by what he said was Inter's inability to finalise the deal, pulled out of negotiations and offered the player to Milan.
Milan announced that Suazo would be playing for them next season, only to later withdraw their claim after recognising the player had already signed a contract with Inter.
NBA
Pistons' Billups to become unrestricted free agent
DETROIT: Detroit Pistons guard Chauncey Billups will become an unrestricted free agent this week after opting out of the final year of his contract on Monday.
The Pistons said Billups' move toward free agency came as no surprise, adding that re-signing the point guard remains a top priority over the summer.
A two-times All-Star and MVP of the 2004 NBA finals, the 30-year-old Billups was due to make about $6.8 million next season.
The 10-year veteran averaged 17 points and 7.2 assists in 2006-07 and will become a free agent on Sunday.
NFL
Bears release Johnson after latest arrest
CHICAGO: The Chicago Bears released defensive tackle Tank Johnson on Monday following his arrest in Arizona for speeding and suspicion of drunk driving just a few weeks after he was discharged from jail on a gun-related charge.
"We are upset and embarrassed by Tank's actions last week," General Manager Jerry Angelo said in a statement issued by the NFL club.
"He compromised the credibility of our organization. We made it clear to him that he had no room for error. Our goal was to help someone through a difficult period in his life but the effort needs to come from both sides. It didn't and we have decided to move on."
(China Daily 06/27/2007 page24)
