FOOTBALL: Foe ready to join Liverpool

MARC-VIVIEN FOE arrived in Liverpool for a medical yesterday after a pounds 4.6m deal was agreed with West Ham for the Cameroon international midfielder.

Foe hopes to complete the deal today but Anfield officials want to be sure his long-term leg injury has healed fully. Foe failed to impress at West Ham. If he signs, Liverpool's manager Gerard Houllier will have spent pounds 21m on seven foreigners this summer.

Stan Collymore held transfer talks in Greece over the weekend. The Aston Villa striker met Panathinaikos officials following their pounds 3m bid for him. Collymore began pre-season training with Villa last weekend, amid speculation that his days at the club are numbered.

The Spanish side Celta Vigo have also expressed an interest in Collymore, while Birmingham City want to sign him on loan.

A move to Panathinaikos would present Collymore with the chance to play in the Champions League next season. He missed the final six weeks of last season to undergo stress counselling.

Bristol City have made Tony Pulis their new manager, while the director of coaching Benny Lennartsson is on his way out of Ashton Gate. Pulis, sacked by Gillingham last week for alleged "gross misconduct", has signed a five-year contract and takes up the position immediately after turning down an offer to manage Stoke.

Lennartsson will leave the club following a brief handover. The 57-year- old Swede took over the first team from John Ward last October but failed to save City from a quick return to the Second Division.

Benito Carbone called in sick yesterday, leaving Sheffield Wednesday in the dark about his plans. The Italian said he will not be available for 10 days.

Sheffield Wednesday are hopeful that Benito Carbone will stay at Hillsborough. The Italian has already rejected a "substantial" offer from the club, but the Owls say they will continue negotiating with the 27-year-old.

Sir Bobby Charlton has flown to Los Angeles in an attempt to boost England's chances of hosting the 2006 World Cup.

Charlton, England's 2006 bid ambassador, is hoping to capitalise on Manchester United's decision to play in the World Club Championship in Brazil in January, and his trip is the first opportunity to gauge the reaction of Fifa members to United's decision. All 24 members of the executive committee are in Los Angeles for the Fifa Congress and the women's World Cup final.

Martin Dahlin has retired from football because of persistent back problems. The Swedish international striker spent the last months of his career with German side Hamburg on loan from Blackburn.

The Argentinian defender Fernando Gamboa is to join Sunderland for part of their pre-season training programme. He is currently with Spanish club Oviedo but is out of favour there.

Transfer listed Lee Clark is a pounds 2.5m target for Fulham, and his former midfield partner Paul Bracewell. Clark has been told he will sold by Sunderland after offending their fans by wearing a derisory T-shirt when he attended the FA Cup final with Newcastle fans.

Middlesbrough's manager, Bryan Robson, is making a pounds 4m offer for Tottenham's Allan Nielsen from. Robson is talking to Spurs about buying the Danish international, who wants to leave the club after being squeezed out of the team by George Graham.