Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier has hit a £20 million transfer jackpot. Houllier has been given the go-ahead to splash the cash after the club struck a lucrative deal with media group Granada Media to show delayed coverage of Premiership matches on the internet.
The Liverpool boss, who has already spent £9 million this summer to land Nick Barmby and Bernard Diomede, will use part of the windfall to step up his bid to lure Middlesbrough's £5.5 million-rated midfielder Christian Ziege to Anfield.
A Liverpool spokesman said: "The deal means we have £20 million in the bank account to fund the summer's transfer spending." A further £3 million will be used to turn the club's existing training ground at Melwood into a state-of-the-art complex.
Liverpool will contribute media and commercial rights to allow their matches to be shown on the internet as well as WAP-enabled mobile phones and through digital television.
The venture, described as a "one-stop shop" for Liverpool fans, will include an archive of edited highlights and live audio commentary. It will also include an online betting service, online shopping for Liverpool merchandise and live auctions of memorabilia.
The service will be available in the UK within a year-and-a-half, as broadband capability, which allows users to download the internet much more quickly, is extended across the country.
The contract is the first major deal by Granada Media since it listed on the Stock Exchange earlier this month and is an extension of the 9.9 per cent stake the business took in the club last year.
Aston Villa manager John Gregory yesterday confirmed he is "finished" with Benito Carbone after the temperamental Italian failed to answer a now-or-never ultimatum over his future at Villa Park.
Speaking as Villa prepare for their InterToto Cup semi-final first leg against Celta Vigo in Spain today, Gregory said: "We've not heard from him so as far as I'm concerned the matter is finished."
Carbone became a free agent on July 1st after joining Villa on a short-term deal from Sheffield Wednesday last October.
Sunderland have agreed a deal for Argentinian defender Julio Arca. The 19-year-old left back, who has dual nationality, will sign a five-year contract to seal a move worth in the region of £3.5 million once he has been issued with an Italian passport.
Arca will arrive in the north-east from Argentinos Juniors, who boast Maradona and Redondo among their old boys. He has been with Argentinos since the age of 13 and has represented his country at under-17 and under-21 levels.
