NO-HEADLINE

Alen Boksic, the 27-year-old Croatian striker, has returned to the Italian Serie A side Lazio for around pounds 7.5m, after only a year with Juventus.

Argentina's World Cup-winning coach from 1978, Cesar Luis Menotti, is leaving the Buenos Aires club, Independiente, for the Italian club, Sampdoria. He succeeds the Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, who is joining Lazio.

Leeds United have asked for their first two Premiership fixtures next season to be played away from home, so that the newly seeded Elland Road pitch can have more time to thrive.

George Courtney, the former Fifa referee, has been elected president of the Northern League. The Durham headmaster has acted as a Premier League assessor since he retired as a top-flight official.

Burnley have agreed a fee of around pounds 200,000 for the 32-year-old Sheffield United midfielder Mark Patterson.

Manchester City have ended their interest in signing the Ipswich Town defender, Tony Vaughan, after failing to agree personal terms.

Australia's coach Terry Venables, said yesterday he would enlist Fifa's help to force Croatia Zagreb to release the striker Mark Viduka for World Cup duty next week, after claiming the club had blocked his return home. Venables said the Croatian League and Cup double-winners failed to respond to several requests to make Viduka available for this month's Oceania qualifying tournament in Sydney.