Soccer Round-Up: Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed both AC Milan and Manchester City have made bids for Ronaldinho. Both clubs have vigorously pursued the signature of Ronaldinho this summer after Barcelona announced they were open to offers for the Brazil playmaker. The 28-year-old has publicly stated he would prefer a move to Milan over Manchester, but Laporta revealed the Premier League side were the club "splashing out" the most money with their offer.

"We have two interesting offers," Laporta told Catalunya Radio.

When asked he admitted that the two proposals had come from long-term admirers Milan and City, and added: "Manchester City are splashing out more in their offer."

Reports in Spain suggest Ronaldinho's predicted exit from the Nou Camp has taken so long because the club and the player have differing opinions over where the Brazilian playmaker's next destination should be.

Barca would rather sell to the Premier League side, who are believed to be offering a sum in the region of 32million euros.

However, Laporta insisted the club would choose the offer which best suited "the interests of the player and Barca".

He continued: "Ronaldinho should leave the club with honour, because he was a man who gave Barca fans their excitement back, he excited us all.

"He played a key role in the capture of two league titles, a Champions League trophy and two Spanish Supercopas. We have to remember that."

Milan have been interested in taking Ronaldinho to the Nou Camp for many months, but have been unable to reach a deal with the Catalan club over the transfer.

Last week Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani admitted his club did not have the financial clout to match City in any bidding war for the player, insisting that to afford the player "the transfer fee would have to be close to nothing".

Regardless of which club does manage to capture the former world player of the year, it seems clear Ronaldinho's future does not lie in Catalunya.

He recently said he would go against Barcelona's wishes if they tried to stop him from representing Brazil in this summer's Olympic Games, and on Monday failed to turn up to the first day of Barca's pre-season training.

Winterburn joins Blackburn backroom staff

Nigel Winterburn is to join Paul Ince's backroom team at Blackburn to work as defensive coach.

The former Arsenal fullback will travel with the team to their pre-season training camp in Germany on Wednesday.

Rovers chairman John Williams said: "Pulling together a new backroom team with the right balance of skills, experience and ideas across sports science, recruitment and coaching is clearly important and we are nearly there now."

Ferdinand likely to avoid FA sanction

Rio Ferdinand seems certain to escape any formal sanction over his part in last season's fracas that followed Manchester United's clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last season.

Reports have emerged of a possible four-match ban for the Manchester United defender - which could rule him out of England's friendly with the Czech Republic on August 20th and scupper his chances of being appointed as Fabio Capello's new captain.

Given Ferdinand has already suffered the misery of serving an eight-month ban for a missed drugs test in 2004, it would be the worst kind of news possible for the 29-year-old Londoner and somewhat bizarre given it was United's complaints about the treatment of their players that led to the inquiry in the first place.

Ferdinand apologised after accidentally kicking a female steward in frustration following his side's defeat.

However, sources close to the investigation into events that took place at Chelsea immediately after the key showdown, which finished in acrimony as the home side won thanks to a hotly disputed late penalty, have been left bemused by the speculation surrounding Ferdinand.

For, while the official report is still being compiled, there has been no suggestion Ferdinand will face any penalty, let alone miss the opening four matches of the season.

The FA are continuing their own investigations into the Stamford Bridge clash, although as yet, no timescale for a definitive decision has been reached.