Tigana makes club-record £7.5m bid for Marlet

Jean Tigana has made a club record £7.5m bid for the Lyon striker Steve Marlet.

The Fulham manager tabled the offer for the French international – a leading light in the recent Confederations Cup side – as he looks for a new partner for Louis Saha. Lyon have put the bid on hold as they are in the Champions' League, but admit that it is so big that they will have to consider the offer.

Marlet, 23, has come through the ranks at Lyon and helped them to a high finish last season. He also scored in the tournament in Japan, where he looked accomplished.

Jean Tigana has filled the 15-day break from Premiership action because of international fixtures with a friendly against his old club, Monaco. The side from the French principality will take on Tigana's team – minus international players – at Craven Cottage on 1 September, the same day that England play their World Cup qualifier in Germany.

Everton's Thomas Gravesen needed 30 stitches in his calf muscle in a 20-minute operation after a tackle from Mauricio Taricco, of Tottenham, in Monday's Premiership game.

The Danish international faces a two-month lay-off after the over-the-top challenge. Gravesen's muscle was detached from the leg by the Argentinian's studs and he only realised the damage when he looked down and saw a gaping hole. Though angry, Everton will not bring it to the Football Association's attention, and hope that the authorities act on video evidence to punish Taricco. Gravesen will miss Denmark's World Cup qualifiers as well as a series of Everton games.

The Southampton defender Claus Lundekvam is facing a three-match ban after being sent off at Leeds on Saturday, which would rule him out of his first Premiership games for more than a year.

Lundekvam, 29, was an ever-present in the Saints team last season but was dismissed for a professional foul on the Leeds midfielder Harry Kewell in the final minute of the 2-0 defeat at Elland Road. The Norwegian international would miss the away games at Tottenham and Bolton on 9 and 15 September and the home match with Ipswich on 19 September.

Coventry have completed the signing of the Moroccan midfielder Youssef Safri after he was granted a work permit. The 24-year-old joins the Sky Blues from Raja Casablanca after being watched by the Coventry manager, Gordon Strachan, for more than a year. The former City player Mustapha Hadji, now with Aston Villa, recommended Safri after seeing him in action for the national team. Safri, a defensive midfielder, was player of the year in Morocco last season and is available for Coventry's match against Bradford on Friday.

Aberdeen's hopes of signing the Wigan striker Simon Haworth on a three-month loan deal look certain to remain unfulfilled after an injury crisis at the JJB Stadium.

The prolific marksman has bagged 34 goals in 90 league games since signing from Coventry City in a £600,000 move three years ago. But he has missed most of the pre-season through injury and the Wigan manager, Paul Jewell, is struggling to cope with a number of injuries and has taken Norwich City's Paul Dalglish on loan.

Geoff Hurst, the hero of England's 1966 World Cup final victory over West Germany, is to sell his winners' medal to his old club, West Ham United.

Cardiff City are ready to make another move for Stoke's Peter Thorne after having a £1.25m bid turned down. It is believed that the 28-year-old striker, who has scored 77 goals in four seasons at Stoke, will double his wages if he does move to the Welsh capital.