Kevin Kuranyi has confirmed he is leaving Schalke to join Dynamo Moscow on a free transfer.

Kuranyi, whose contract expires at the end of June, announced the transfer on his own official website, thanking the Schalke fans for their support this season.

“I will most certainly remember my recent time with Schalke as one of the best of my life,” he said. “The way you celebrated us and me after the final home game of the season is one of the most emotional moments of my career.”

Schalke had hoped to begin negotiations with Kuranyi over a new contract once they had secured their place in the Champions League and were able to know what kind of financial possibilities they had to offer the 28-year-old striker.…

Michael Ballack is being offered the chance to return home to Germany with Schalke 04.

The German midfielder’s £120,000-a-week deal with Chelsea runs out in June and the Blues are showing little appetite to renew it. That has opened the door for Schalke to try to tempt Ballack, 33, back to the Bundesliga after the World Cup.

Schalke boss Felix Magath has made Ballack his top transfer target as he attempts to build a sidecapable of winning the title.

It would be an interesting proposition for Ballack as Schalke can also offer Champions League football next season.…

Thomas Hitzlsperger is leaving the Bundesliga to join Lazio.

The 27-year old midfielder began looking for another club after he lost his place in the starting line-up at Stuttgart. He signed a contract to the end of the current season with the two-time Italian champions.

Hitzlsperger was worried that a lack of playing time could jeopardize his place in Germany’s World Cup squad. “I’m looking forward to this new challenge. I had a great time here in Stuttgart, but by moving on, I hope to get more playing time than I did lately. With the 2010 South Africa World Cup in mind, time on the pitch is essential. It’s also a privilege to play in a top league abroad and I want to continue the tradition of Germans who played successfully in Italy.”

Hitzlsperger has six goals in 51 games for Germany. He won the Bundesliga with Stuttgart in 2007, scoring some key goals. He signed with Stuttgart in 2005 and had 20 goals in 125 Bundesliga games, following a three-year stint with Aston Villa, where he had received the nickname “The Hammer” because of his fierce shot. He’s expected to have his first practice in Rome on Tuesday.…

Bayern Munich do not have an agreement in place to sell French midfielder Franck Ribery to Real Madrid next season, according to Bayern general director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

Ribery, contracted to Bayern until 2011, wanted to join Real in the close season but the Bundesliga side refused to budge, insisting their valuable playmaker was not for sale.

“We do not have an agreement with Real to sell Franck next season. That is a fact,” Rummenigge told Munich’s Abendzeitung newspaper.

He said Ribery was also never an issue during negotiations to sign Dutch winger Arjen Robben, who joined Bayern from Real last week on a four-year deal.

“The first time I called Real Madrid (about Robben) the people there asked me whether there was any chance of getting Ribery now and I said this is not an issue,” Rummenigge said, adding there was no further talk about the Frenchman during the Robben negotiations.

Despite staying on at Bayern, Ribery has looked unhappy, missing much of the pre-season training due to injuries and admitting to a lack of contact with new coach Louis van Gaal.

“It is the first time I have not felt close to a coach,” Ribery told French newspaper L’Equipe …

Bayern Munich were prepared to sell Frank Ribery for €100m, according to general manager Uli Hoeness.

The France midfielder was strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid this summer, the Spanish giants keen to make him their fourth galacticos signing following the arrivals of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

Bayern have, though, managed to hold on to their most prized asset, who earlier this week confirmed he would be staying at the club.

But Hoeness revealed on Wednesday the Bayern hierarchy had made up their minds to deal for €100m.

He told Sport Bild: “Internally we said yes, from €100m we’ll deal. Also that was a defensive measure. We did not think anyone would pay that. We wanted to keep Franck.

“One week before the expiry of our internal deadline we said that to him personally. Therefore he knew that interested clubs still had a week to offer the €100m.”

Hoeness admitted there was one day when he thought the valuation would be met.

“Someone said to me there would be an offer of 100m euros coming – but not from Real,” he added. “I had a very bad day. I felt an emptiness in myself, because I …

Werder Bremen have re-signed striker Claudio Pizarro from Chelsea, the London club have confirmed.

The Peruvian has returned at the Weserstadion after enjoying a successful loan spell there last term.

A statement on Chelsea’s official website read: “Claudio Pizarro has today signed a permanent deal with Werder Bremen. All at the club wish Claudio well for the future.”

Pizarro, who also spent two years at Bremen earlier in his career, helped them win the DFB Pokal and reach the final of the UEFA Cup.

Bremen ended in a disappointing 10th place in the league, but Pizarro impressed with 17 goals.

The 30-year-old returned to Stamford Bridge at the end of the campaign, but appeared to have little chance of first-team football with Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou for competition.

Pizarro, who did not feature in boss Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for their opening 2-1 win over Hull on Saturday, reportedly flew to Bremen on Monday night to seal the transfer.

Pizarro joined Chelsea in summer 2007 on a free transfer from Bayern Munich.

He scored on his debut for the Blues, but soon found himself out of the picture as the manager who signed him, Jose Mourinho, left the …

Hertha Berlin coach Lucien Favre is keen to bring Liverpool striker Andriy Voronin back to the German capital.

The Ukrainian enjoyed a successful loan spell with Hertha last season, his goals helping them secure a fourth-placed finish in the Bundesliga.

He has since returned to Anfield, but his chances of regular first-team football under Rafael Benitez look bleak.

“Yes, I have contact with Andriy, just spoken to him on the telephone,” Favre said in the Bild newspaper. “The contact was never broken off. He played excellently for us.”

A transfer fee could prove a stumbling block, though.

Hertha general manager Michael Preetz added: “We would like to have Voronin – if it was financially doable.”

[Soccernet]…

Image: The Sun

Werder Bremen sporting director Klaus Allofs claims he is closing in on the signing of Claudio Pizarro from Chelsea.

Pizarro, 30, spent last season on loan at the Bundesliga club and scored 28 goals in all competitions.

He has since returned to the Blues, where he has vowed to take his chance to break into Carlo Ancelotti’s team, but Bremen remain confident they can lure him back to the Bundesliga – this time on a permanent deal.

“We are deep in talks with them [Chelsea] and we hope to be successful before August 13,” said Allofs on DSF television.

“And just to bring an end to all the rumours, if we do sign him then we would be buying him and I think that is also what Chelsea want.”

Bremen striker Boubacar Sanogo will be hoping the deal goes through soon as he prepares to move to St Etienne.

The Ivory Coast striker has attracted the interest of the French club, but Allofs has told him he is going nowhere while the personnel situation remains tight.

“We only have three strikers so we cannot let him go,” he said.

[Soccernet]

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