Heinze move to Liverpool is vetoed

MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out the possibility of letting defender Gabriel Heinze join Premier League rivals Liverpool.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez made a £6 million ($12 million) bid for the 29-year-old Argentine on Monday but it was rejected by United. Heinze has also been linked to both Real Madrid and Inter Milan.

But Ferguson has made it clear he will not allow Heinze to head to Merseyside, a route travelled only once since the War, when Phil Chisnall joined United's bitter rivals in 1962.

"I can assure you Liverpool will not be getting Gabriel Heinze," said Ferguson. "We have had a couple of offers and we have turned them down."

Heinze reportedly told Ferguson earlier this month that he wanted a move but because he was playing for Argentina in the Copa America they did not have the opportunity to speak since.

"Heinze's agents are rolling the ball all the time but no matter what his agent thinks, we are in the driving seat," said Ferguson.

"I don't exactly know what Gaby thinks because it is all coming from his agent but this has been going on for a year-and-a-half now."

The deadline for Heinze to invoke a buy-out clause has now expired. Had the Argentine stated his intent to pay up his two-year contract, United could not have stopped him joining Liverpool.

Lyon midfielder Alou Diarra moved to rivals Bordeaux in a 7.75 million euro deal on Thursday, the French champions announced.

The player, currently in South Korea with Lyon taking part in the Peace Cup, will sign a four-year contract.

Diarra said he decided to leave Lyon to improve his chances of breaking into the French national side in time for the Euro 2008 finals.

"It's difficult not playing when one of your ambitions is to play for the national side," he said.

Diarra was signed by Lyon from Lens in August 2006 for 6.25m euros after the departure of Mahamadou Diarra to Spanish champions Real Madrid.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has found in favor of French side Le Havre in their appeal over the poaching of Charles N'Zogbia by Premier League side Newcastle.

The Lausanne-based body ordered that N'Zogbia and Newcastle pay 900,000 euros ($1.2 million) in compensation to the French second division club.

N'Zogbia, who was trained by Le Havre since the age of 11 years, left Le Havre in June 2004 to join Newcastle while he was still under contract.

Le Havre had demanded that the player return to the French club.

But judging that this was impossible CAS ordered that damages and interest be paid to the French side.

French defender David Sommeil has joined Valenciennes from English side Sheffield United on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee, the Ligue 1 club said on Thursday.

At 32, Sommeil is a well-travelled player who had stints with Saint-Lo, Caen, Rennes, Bordeaux and Olympique Marseille before crossing the Channel in January 2004 to play for Manchester City and, last season, Sheffield United. E-mail to a friend