Football: Bakayoko in pounds 4m move

THE EVERTON striker Ibrahima Bakayoko has joined Marseilles for pounds 4m. The French club said last night that the 22-year-old Ivory Coast international has signed a five-year contract.

Bakayoko, who joined Everton for pounds 4.5m from Montpellier last October, failed to settle at Goodison Park. In the last six games of the season he was replaced by the on-loan Kevin Campbell, who scored the goals that saved the Merseysiders from relegation. Bakayoko's departure will give Everton the funds to complete the permanent signing of Campbell from the Turkish club, Trabzonspor.

Dimitri Kharine has completed his move from Chelsea to Celtic on a "Bosman" free transfer, and will compete to be the first-choice goalkeeper at Parkhead next season. The 30-year-old Russian international, who was out of contract at Stamford Bridge, will join the Scotland international Jona-than Gould and the former Scotland Under-21 goalkeeper Stewart Kerr in trying to win favour with Celtic's new head coach, John Barnes.

The Professional Footballers' Association has urged European clubs to present a "united front" against the influx of foreign players, following Chelsea's signing of Didier Deschamps on Monday. The PFA's deputy chief executive, Brendon Batson, believes that European clubs must force a limit on the number of overseas players to protect young domestic talent and safeguard the future of the England team.

"In Italy and Spain, there are concerns that domestic talent is not being given a fair opportunity," Batson said. "Historically, you look at clubs like Liverpool through the 1970s and 80s and they looked for little diamonds like Kevin Keegan and Ian Rush in the lower divisions. And they became world stars. That is happening less and less. In actual fact, it is non- existent."

The Premier League has hit back at suggestions that a new windfall tax should be imposed on England's leading clubs. The Institute for Public Policy Research suggested that a larger levy, of around 10 per cent, could be set against the most profitable Premiership clubs to reinvest in other areas of the game - if future television deals continue to escalate.

However, a Premier League spokesman, Mike Lee, said the IPPR had not considered how much generated money had already been reinvested. "Premier League clubs, who face enormous and growing cost pressures, already make a significant contribution to the game and to their local communities, as the Football Task Force made clear in its last report," Lee added.

Coventry City have completed the signing of the Internazionale goalkeeper Raffaele Nuzzo and midfielder Antonio Caruso on 12-month loan deals.

The Bolton Wanderers midfielder Scott Sellars has agreed terms with Huddersfield Town, who have appointed John Deehan as the assistant to their manager, Steve Bruce.

The Real Mallorca striker Dani Garcia has joined Barcelona in a six-year deal.