Patrick Vieira, the France midfielder, will stay at Manchester City next season after agreeing a one-year extension to his contract. The former Arsenal player, who turns 34 this month, joined City from Inter Milan on a six-month contract in January with an option for a further year. City said on their website that the option had been taken up. Vieira, Roberto Mancini's first signing, made 14 appearances for the Abu Dhabi-owned club who will be playing in the Europa League next season.
The Frenchman, a World Cup winner in 1998 but passed over for his country's squad for this month's tournament in South Africa, won three Serie A championships with Inter and three Premier League titles with Arsenal. City have also signed Alex Henshall, the highly-rated teenager, who plays for Swindon Town in League One, the third tier of English football, for an undisclosed fee. The 16-year-old winger is part of the England youth set-up and regarded as one of the country's most promising youngsters.
"They have come up with a deal which is good for all parties," Andrew Fitton, the Swindon chairman, told BBC Radio Wiltshire. "We've been approached by a number of Premiership sides and that includes a discussion with Liverpool." Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen have suggested they would be unable to offer Michael Ballack a return to the Bundesliga on financial grounds. Ballack, the Germany captain, who will miss the World Cup after damaging ankle ligaments in the FA Cup final, will be a free agent when his Chelsea contract expires at the end of the month.
He claims to have "some options" in his homeland but both Bremen and Leverkusen, his former club, believe his wage demands would price them out. Klaus Allofs, Bremen's general manager, told Kicker: "Although it would be nice it is an illusion." Ballack played for Leverkusen from 1999 to 2002 but Wolfgang Holzhauser, their business manager, is another who believes the 33-year-old is out of range. He added: "The relationship between Bayer and Michael Ballack was always special and we were an important step in his career.
"A question is whether we could afford such a move now." Massimiliano Allegri is on course to become AC Milan's next coach despite a hold up over his contract at former club Cagliari. "If he frees himself from Cagliari it will definitely be Allegri," Adriano Galliani, the Milan chief executive, told reporters yesterday. The 42-year-old Allegri, viewed by many commentators as Italy's best young manager, was surprisingly sacked by Cagliari after a row in April but remains contracted to the Sardinian club.
* Agencies
