BERLIN (AFP) – Stuttgart’s German international midfielder Sami Khedira is closing in on a move to Spanish club Real Madrid, the club’s sporting director Fredi Bobic confirmed on Thursday.

“It’s not often we receive such an offer from Real Madrid,” Bobic told the daily Bild. “It’s up to Real and us now to reach agreement.”

The player’s agent Jorg Neubauer added: “It’s true he wants to go to Real. He’s talking now with Stuttgart.”

Khedira was one of the revelations of the 2010 World Cup where Germany finished third, and is under contract with Stuttgart until 2011.

According to media reports Stuttgart are ready to let the 23-year-old leave for 15 million euro, while Real Madrid are ready to pay between 8 million and 10 million euro.

Inter striker Mario Balotelli is on the verge of finally joining Manchester City as Sky Sport Italia report the deal could be concluded “within hours”.

Mino Raiola, Balotelli’s agent, and one of the player’s lawyers have been speaking with City chiefs in Manchester throughout Thursday as they try to reach a rapid conclusion.

The presence of Balotelli’s lawyer strongly suggests contracts could be rubber stamped by the end of play, and then Balotelli would have to put his own pen to paper.

Once an agreement is found over wages – previous reports suggested City were offering €3.8 million per annum – City directors will fly back to Milan with Raiola to close the deal on Inter’s end, believed to be worth €30m plus bonuses.

Balotelli, City and Inter are all hoping the deal is closed soon, leaving Raiola to hasten the talks.

Meanwhile, talks are still ongoing between Real Madrid and the Nerazzurri for Maicon.

Here it’s not a question of hours, but days as there are still questions at issue over wages.

Maicon is holding out for €7m a year, but Real Madrid think that is excessive given that he earns €4m with Inter.

The Spanish club have reached a €26m plus bonuses transfer agreement with Inter. Jose Mourinho has reportedly spoken to Maicon personally to tell him to lower his wage demands so the deal can go through.

If that move fails then Real Madrid will turn to Chelsea’s Ricardo Carvalho.

Maicon’s agent Antonio Caliendo has spoken to Italian media since then. “I am waiting for someone to solve this situation. I have excellent relationships with Real Madrid. I hope Massimo Moratti considers Maicon and his transfer price,” he told Calciomercato.it.?

Two of Europe’s finest go head-to-head in Madrid this weekend and the 38-year-old referee has now been entrusted with handling the big occasion.

It is the latest prestigious appointment for Webb, regarded as England’s leading referee, following his selection for this summer’s World Cup.

Webb has already taken control of six Champions League fixtures this season, including Inter’s quarter-final first leg against CSKA Moscow.

Countrymen Michael Mullarkey and Darren Cann will be his assistants at the Santiago Bernabeu with Martin Atkinson the fourth official.

Bayern Munich booked their place in the final after disposing of Lyon while Inter upset Spanish giants Barcelona with a 3-2 aggregate success.

Newcastle midfielder Kevin Nolan has already switched his focus to winning the Championship title after securing promotion on Monday.

Having already been told they had returned to the Premier League before the match, the Magpies came from a goal behind to beat Sheffield United 2-1 at home with Nolan grabbing the winner.

Although he expressed his delight at gaining promotion, the 27-year-old stated that his side now want to ensure they finish the season on top of the league.

“To win the game after going 1-0 down – it was a bit of an anti-climax (after) us actually being up before the game,” he told Sky Sports 1.

“But you just have to look at this, what it means to these (fans) and what it means to the lads.

“We’ve gone through a tough ten months but we’re not finished yet, we’ve got five games left and we’re going to give it our all until the end of the season.

Main goal

“Not only do we want promotion, we want to go and win it (the title) now and that’s the main thing for us now.”

Nolan also paid tribute to the Newcastle fans for maintaining their strong attendances despite being down in the second tier.

He added: “Tonight, they way they’ve turned out and they’ve turned up all season – we can’t thank them enough.”

Goalkeeper Steve Harper also relished the Magpies’ promotion and echoed his team-mate’s sentiments about title glory.

Harper added: “A lot of questions were asked about everybody at this football club back in the summer and as a group of players and staff we’ve got together and achieved what we set out at the start of the season.

“We’ve got to go on and try and win the league but to get promoted with six games still to go is a massive achievement.”

Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill has confirmed the club are to offer James Milner a new deal in the summer.

Milner signed a four-year deal when he joined Villa from Newcastle in the summer of 2008.

The former Leeds ace has enjoyed a fantastic season for Villa this season after being moved into a central midfield role and he is expected to be part of Fabio Capello’s England World Cup squad.

Villa are now ready to tie down Milner to a new long-term bumper deal to ward off potential suitors.

“I said to James couple of months ago that we would sit down in the summer about a new contract, regardless of whether he plays for England or not (at the World Cup),” said O’Neill.

Chelsea marched back to the top of the Premier League table with an emphatic 3-0 defeat of on-form Birmingham at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

A Frank Lampard double helped Carlo Ancelotti’s side end Birmingham’s 15-match unbeaten run on a night when Arsenal were held to a goalless draw at Aston Villa.

Chelsea were in control from the start, with Florent Malouda heading in a Joe Cole cross to secure a fifth minute lead.

Ricardo Carvalho then headed against the woodwork before Frank Lampard doubled the lead with a drive from 20 yards just after the half hour mark.

Birmingham could have ensured a tense finale if James McFadden had not squandered a great chance to put them back in the game.

As it was, Lampard claimed his second right at the death to ensure Chelsea moved back to the top with the bonus of a significant boost to their goal difference.

Ancelotti’s men are now a point ahead of Manchester United with the advantage of having played a game less than the champions.

Arsenal, who entertain United at The Emirates on Sunday, are two points adrift of Sir Alex Ferguson’s side while Villa remain in seventh place, four points off Tottenham, the side currently occupying the fourth and final qualifying place for next season’s Champions League.

Ancelotti paid fulsome tribute to Lampard’s contribution. “I think he’s the best running midfielder in the world,” he said. “He has this fantastic quality to time his run into the box.”

The Italian added: “It’s good we are back at the top. We have one more point with a game in hand on United and two points more than Arsenal.

“That’s important because on Sunday United play Arsenal. Maybe we can improve our position on Saturday.”

Arsenal came closest to breaking the deadlock, twice hitting the woodwork in an entertaining contest at Villa Park.

Cesc Fabregas rattled a shot against the post in first-half stoppage time and Tomas Rosicky struck the underside of the bar after the interval after Brad Friedel had kept out Andrey Arshavin’s shot.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admitted Villa had done a good job of nullifying his side’s passing game.

“Villa know how not to let us play and they did that very well tonight,” the Frenchman said.

Blackburn moved closer to mid-table safety after a 2-1 win over Lancashire neighbours Wigan, who were left just two points clear of the relegation zone.

Morten Gamst Pedersen fired Blackburn into a 20th-minute lead with a fine half-volley that was cancelled out just before the hour mark by Scotland defender Gary Caldwell’s header.

Blackburn always looked marginally the better side however and they were rewarded with 14 minutes left when Nikola Kalinic headed home from a Pedersen corner.

In Wednesday’s other match, Everton continued their recent improvement with a 2-0 win over a Sunderland side moving in the opposite direction.

Everton needed only seven minutes to claim the lead against opponents who have been leaking goals of late and have now won only once in their last 13 league matches.

Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini directed a cross to the near post and Tim Cahill met it with a deft header that found the far corner of Craig Gordon’s net.

Cahill then turned provider for Everton’s second, heading Leighton Baines’s long ball into the path of Landon Donovan, who beat Craig Gordon from the edge of the area for his first goal since joining on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy earlier this month.

Ghana face neighbours Nigeria in a charged west African derby here Thursday with the prize a ticket to the Africa Cup of Nations final.

The semi-finalists who face off at Luanda’s 11 November stadium made it through in wildly contrasting fashions.

While four-time winners Ghana impressed in their 1-0 quarter-final win over hosts Angola, Nigeria laboured to a goalless extra-time draw with Zambia, only prevailing on penalties, with Israeli-based goalkeeper Victor Enyeama converting the decisive spot kick for a 5-4 win.

Despite their far from impressive performance Ghana coach Milovan Rajevic is too wily a coach to take Nigeria’s form in Benguela at face value.

“If you just look at Nigeria’s quarter-final performance it can create a false impression,” warned the Serb, speaking as ever with the help of his trusty translator.

“Yesterday (Tuesday) they showed they were an experienced team who knew what they wanted.

“You can’t draw any conclusions from that game, you have to look at the bigger picture.

“Take for example Ivory Coast. They didn’t play very well against Burkina Faso, then showed they could play a lot better in their next matches.”

Rajevic has worked wonders to get Ghana this far given the injury crisis he has had to contend with, Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien among a host of key players out injured.

Yet he said he wasn’t surprised at Ghana’s progress to the semi-finals.

“When you consider we have eight younger players from Ghana’s Under-20 World Cup winning team combined with some experienced players it’s an excellent mix.

“My team has proved its quality, they know how to compete, they are tough, and there is an excellent atmosphere and spirit in the squad.”

Rajevic is due to welcome back Norwegian-based midfielder Anthony Annan, who has missed all of Ghana’s matches in Angola up to now.

“Anthony is recovering well and we can use him for the semi-final,” Rajevac confirmed.

However, he will be without Agyemang Opuku, who is suspended.

Rajevic, meanwhile, may be a ‘blow in’ from Serbia but he doesn’t need reminding of the importance Ghanaians attach to beating Nigeria.

“There is a definite rivalry between the two countries. On top of that this is a semi-final in the Africa Cup of Nations, with a place in the final up for grabs.”

Recent history is on Ghana’s side, after they knocked out Nigeria in the quarter-finals at the 2008 competition on home soil.

Asamoah Gyan scored the decisive goal in Ghana’s quarter-final win over the hosts in Luanda on Sunday and the Rennes striker is relishing facing Nigeria again.

Gyan said: “Every Ghanaian knows how important it is to play Nigeria. We are ready for them and prepared and we will stick to the game plan that the coach has mapped out for us.

“We beat Nigeria two years ago. We have a lot of young guys in the team but we are concentrated and we will do everything possible to win.”

Ghana are four time winners of the competition but their last title dates back to 1982.

Nigeria, meanwhile, champions in 1980 and 1994, have yet to catch fire in Angola, and will have to put in a more convincing display than they did against Zambia to see off Ghana.

Nigeria’s under-fire coach Shaibu Amodu said after edging Zambia: “I was worried for the reputation of Nigeria, not for my job. It wouldn’t have been good to once again be knocked out in the quarter-finals.

“We’ve said from day one that we have a team that can win this tournament. I know that I have the players to win it.

“We didn’t play very well against Zambia but we showed how to play as a team.

“We’re not at our best at the moment but we are improving all the time, and in five months (at the World Cup) we’ll be a lot better.”

Wayne Rooney’s representatives have been hearing offers from big clubs for the striker in an attempt to encourage Manchester United to improve his contract.

Though negotiations for a new deal have not yet formally begun between the player and club, there is already pressure to ensure Rooney, 24, has a salary to match or surpass the top earner at the club, Rio Ferdinand. 

Rooney, whose current deal expires in 2012, pockets around £100,000 a week – which is less than what Ferdinand gets per week and the deal handed to Cristiano Ronaldo in his last season at Old Trafford. 

“New contract negotiations with Manchester United will begin very soon, but Wayne should be one of the highest earners in world football never mind Man United,” a source close to Rooney revealed to Goal.com UK.

Speculation surrounding a lucrative Barcelona switch has intensified in recent days and Cristiano Ronaldo has endorsed his former team-mate’s ability to potentially succeed in La Liga with him at Real Madrid.

The interest is likely to increase unless United take action soon. “We’ve had some very encouraging offers from some very big clubs and we have not discouraged any to be perfectly honest with you,” admitted the source.

“We have been encouraged to hear what they have to say and we have been offered ridiculous amounts of money and all sorts of packages for Wayne’s services.”

Tony Pulis confirmed Stoke were looking to sign Portsmouth goalkeeper James on loan until the end of the season, with reports persisting that Bayern Munich are interested in current goalkeeper Thomas Sorenson. The six-month deal had been expected to go through on Friday, but problems emerged and Stoke were said to have pulled the plug.

An insider said: “When a Premier League club loan a player, they pay his wages. Here, Stoke don’t want to do that.”

 Stoke have presented a scaled payment plan in one of the most complex loan proposals ever to have occurred within the Premier League.

Stoke do not want to pay all the player’s wages and were looking to withhold payments until James made a certain number of appearances. Another amount would have been paid if Stoke avoided relegation.

Portsmouth would have to underwrite the shortfall – which would amount to them paying a proportion of James’ £2 million-a-year salary. Portsmouth have refused, and talks reached a critical stage as Stoke were unable to resolve the matter before the midday deadline for James to make his Stoke debut against Liverpool.

The insider said: “There will be more talks through the afternoon to see if it can be sorted out.”

Unless there are compromises, the move looks like being either held up over the weekend or called off completely, and a decision is likely to be made later on Friday.

Leg strength (thighs):
Find something no taller then a foot high, and no wider then a foot. Jump from side to side as fast as you can (but make sure you are doing it the right way, and not hurting yourself.) While you are jumping from one side to the other, make sure you are getting your [knees up.] You don’t want to keep your legs straight. knees MUST come up high. As soon as your feet touch the ground quickly pop your legs back up and over to the other side. Quick feet.

Also, squats are painful, but they are a guaranteed way to make your thighs stronger.

Core strength:
Crunches, planks (which you can look up how to do online) and many other ab workouts are important and very helpful.

Ball control drill:
Practice Juggling the soccer ball for at the very least half hour a day. Thighs, feet, chest, head. See if you can go from your foot to your thigh to your chest to your head and back down again. Very good drill to keep your footwork and body on the ball.

Sprinting drill:
If you are on a soccer field you know how there are lines from the endline to the center line. There is the endline, the 6 yard box, the 18 yard box, and half way.
Start at one end line, and sprint out to the 6 yard box. Jog back to the endline. Then sprint out to the 18 yard box, jog back to the endline. Then sprint out to the center line. Jog back to the endline. Then work your way down again. Center, end, 18, end, 6, end. It helps with endurance BIG TIME, (though it sucks, it helps) and helps with sprinting skill.

Core strength and thigh strength are the two most important muscle areas in your body you need for soccer. It wont help with running up and down the field for 60 minutes, (all the running exercises would) but it helps with stability for one.

Other then that, jog around your neighborhood for a mile. 3/4 times a week. Its very important you hydrate too. That will keep you going longer, and keep muscles from cramping up.

Check out the other articles we are adding on hydration and nutrition.