Mario hits Milan winner

Mario Balotelli signed off his AC Milan debut by scoring the winner with the last kick of the match as Udinese were defeated 2-1 amid controversial scenes at the San Siro on Sunday night.

Watch Serie A highlights HERE

All eyes were on the mercurial Italy striker following his £19million arrival from Manchester City and he duly delivered a clinical brace, his first goal arriving in the 24th minute.

Gianpiero Pinzi pulled Udinese level in the second half and as Milan drifted towards a draw, Balotelli's head appeared to drop. But he snatched up the ball with glee when Stephan El Shaarawy won a suspicious penalty from Thomas Heurtaux in the final minute of injury time.

Despite Udinese's angry protestations - Heurtaux appeared to make a clean tackle - Balotelli kept his head from the spot to fire his new employers into fourth place in Serie A.

Earlier, Juventus went three points clear at the top of the standings thanks to a 2-1 victory at Chievo.

An early strike by Alessandro Matri was followed by a second just before the break from Stephan Lichtsteiner, before Cyril Thereau reduced the arrears in the second half. New signing Nicolas Anelka was an unused substitute for Juventus.

Siena climbed off the bottom of the table with a shock 3-1 home victory over Inter Milan, who have now failed to win on the road since November.

Debutant Innocent Emeghara, recently signed from Lorient, stunned the Nerazzurri with his first Siena goal, only for Antonio Cassano to equalise inside 60 seconds.

An Alessio Sestu goal ensured Giuseppe Iachini's hosts led at the break.

The second half might have been a different story for Inter had Cristian Chivu not seen red for a professional foul, with Alessandro Rosina converting the resulting penalty.

A last-gasp goal from debutant Marco Rigoni secured a 3-2 victory over Lazio that lifted Genoa out of the relegation zone.

It was a well-deserved first win for new Genoa coach Davide Ballardini, whose side built a two-goal lead inside 21 minutes through Marco Borriello and Andrea Bertolacci.

Sergio Floccari and Stefano Mauri dragged Lazio back into the game, only for deadline-day signing Rigoni to fire in a bullet header for Genoa at the death.

Fiorentina got back to winning ways with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Parma.

Vincenzo Montella's men were chasing a first win in five games to restore their bid for a Champions League place and Luca Toni put them on track with the opener.

The visitors, who are sliding down the league table, were condemned to a second straight defeat when Stevan Jovetic scored five minutes into the second half.

Pescara dropped into the relegation zone after losing 3-2 at home to Bologna in an eventful contest featuring three penalties in the space of 16 first-half minutes.

The home side twice took the lead from the spot through Vladimir Weiss and Gaetano D'Agostino, with Alessandro Diamanti initially equalising with a penalty for the visitors.

Diamanti then set up a second equaliser for Alberto Gilardino before Panagiotis Kone scored the winner for Bologna midway through the second half.

Watch Serie A highlights

Palermo's rash of January signings were unable to change their fortunes at the foot of the table as they lost 2-1 at home to fellow strugglers Atalanta.

Palermo signed a total of 10 players in January, with Diego Fabbrini and Alejandro Faurlin the last to arrive on deadline day.



They both made their debuts but ended in a losing cause as second-half goals from Carlos Carmona and German Denis put Atalanta in control before Nelson's late consolation.

Balotelli move to AC Milan

Mario Balotelli is officially a Milan player after agreeing a four-and-a-half-year contract, completing his move from Manchester City for €20m plus bonuses.



The news was confirmed on Milan Channel, the official club television channel, and he will have his medical on Wednesday.



“Mario arrives tomorrow!!!” read a statement on Milan Channel. “There is an agreement between the two clubs.



“Tomorrow he’ll undergo a medical and after that Mario will sign a contract with Milan until June 30 2017.”



Up until a couple of weeks ago, the price-tag set by City had been €37m, but Milan managed to negotiate it down to €20m to be paid over a six-year period, plus another €3m in performance-related bonuses.



Balotelli himself was crucial in the negotiations, as the lifelong Rossoneri supporter reportedly agreed to cut his wages from €6m net to just €4m.



Italian sources suggest he has already left the Manchester City training camp ahead of tonight's game with QPR and will be in Milan this evening.

Milan and Juve in talk over possible move for Balotelli

Manchester City have held talks with AC Milan and Juventus about the sale of striker Mario Balotelli, but will only let him go if the Serie A clubs meet their valuation.

City value the Italian, 22, at around 24m euros (£21m) including add-ons.

Balotelli is not actively up for sale and City will not subsidise any of his salary should he leave the club.

Contrary to reports, Balotelli is with the squad that travelled to London for Tuesday's meeting with QPR.

Milan initiated talks with City over the Italy striker, and Juve subsequently made contact with the Premier League club to discuss buying Balotelli, who arrived in Manchester from Inter Milan in August 2010 for a fee in the region of £24m.



Earlier on Monday, City assistant manager David Platt had said Balotelli would not be moving to AC Milan this month.

"I don't think anything is going to happen," said Platt of a proposed January move.

"It's a shame the manager's not here. He might know more than me but as far as we are concerned I think he is still a Manchester City player.

And City manager Roberto Mancini had also insisted on Friday that the Italian, regularly linked with a return to Italy since he arrived in England in 2010, would not leave the club.

"It is not true. Mario stays. We didn't have any requests about Mario or other players," said Mancini.

The Italian also said it would be "difficult" to buy new players with so little time left in the transfer window.

"I don't know [if City will buy anyone] but we don't have enough players," he added. "We are 18 players now. We can't sell any players."

Balotelli - who has scored one league goal in 14 appearances this term - has courted controversy throughout his time in England, with the latest incident involving a training ground row with Mancini at the start of January.

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani had stated that if City were to lower their valuation then a move could be on, but Mancini insisted the Italy international remained part of his long-term plans.



"Mario has another three years on his contract," he said.

Wednesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Juventus and AC Milan are interested in signing Didier Drogba from Shanghai Shenhua.



- But Didier Drogba is nearing a switch to AC Milan, according to reports in Italy.



- Newcastle have signed a second French player in the space of 24 hours after confirming the arrival of forward Yoan Gouffran from Bordeaux on a four-year deal.



- Arsenal and Manchester United's hopes of signing Germany Under-17 captain Jonathan Tah have been dashed after he signed professional terms with Hamburg.



- Arsenal target Adrian Lopez insists he is unaffected by speculation linking him with the north London club and says he plans to continue at Atletico Madrid.



- Spurs and Arsenal could be encouraged to bid for Younes Belhanda after Montpellier revealed they had received no offer from Inter Milan for the playmaker.



- Tottenham have opted against recalling Danny Rose from his loan at Sunderland, meaning the defender will see out the season at the Stadium of Light.



- Tottenham target Miralem Pjanic has ruled out a move away from Roma following mooted interest from Barcelona.



- Tottenham midfielder Yago Falque has joined Primera Liga promotion hopefuls Almeria on loan until the end of the season.



- Chelsea winger Marko Marin intends to discuss his future at Stamford Bridge amid interest from clubs wanting to take him on loan, according to his agent.



- Manchester United's pursuit of Wilfried Zaha has been delayed by the departure of Crystal Palace co-owner Steve Parish to Australia, but the England international is still expected to sign for the Premier League leaders by the end of the month.



- Manchester United have stepped up their interest in Lille full-back Lucas Digne, according to Mercato365.



- Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson made a personal check on Celtic's Victor Wanyama, and is now weighing up a bid for the midfielder.



- Newcastle have been boosted in their attempts to keep hold of Fabricio Coloccini after San Lorenzo pulled out of their bid to sign him.



- Fulham will have to stump up £1.3m to land Bulgaria defender Stanislav Manolev, according to sources in Holland.



- Fulham manager Martin Jol admits Sascha Riether could stay at Craven Cottage beyond this season if he maintains his current form for the club.



- New Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino has ruled out signing any of his former players from Espanyol.



- Michu has signed a new four-year contract to keep the prolific goalscorer at Swansea City until 2016, the Premier League club has said.



- West Ham United have announced that defender Guy Demel has signed a contract extension until 2015.



- Southampton are the latest club showing interest in Anderlecht midfielder Lucas Biglia, who has been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool, according to Sky Sports.



- Norwich are set to complete the signing of goalkeeper Lee Camp on a free transfer from Nottingham Forest until the end of the season.



- Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao has dismissed claims that talks with Real Madrid about a move across the Spanish capital have taken place.



- The agent of Guillermo Ochoa insists Liverpool are yet to firm up their reported interest in the Ajaccio goalkeeper.



- Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez is set to extend his contract at Camp Nou until 2016 on Monday, the Catalan giants have confirmed.



- Atletico Madrid are preparing an offer for Southampton target Joan Verdu.



- Espanyol are ready to rescue Alou Diarra from his West Ham misery and take him to Spain.



- Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon has extended his contract with Juventus by two years, running until the end of 2015, the club confirmed today.



- Inter Milan have denied making a 14million euro bid for Montpellier midfielder Younes Belhanda.



- Fiorentina look set to sign Poland international Rafal Wolski from Legia Warsaw subject to the successful completion of a medical at Stadio Artemio Franchi on Thursday.



- Napoli are plotting a move for Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone, according to sources in Italy.



- Palermo have officially agreed a deal for Blackburn creative midfielder Mauro Formica and reportedly also Wigan Athletic striker Mauro Boselli.



- Chievo has signed Chilean midfielder Felipe Seymour on loan from Genoa for the rest of the Serie A season.



- Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila has turned down the chance to move to the Premier League and signed for Russian side Rubin Kazan.



- Marseille are ready to beat Norwich City and Aston Villa to the signing of Senegal ace Modou Sougou.



- Mikael Silvestre could become the latest former Premier League player to join the MLS revolution after Portland Timbers revealed he had started training at the club.



- Jeffrey Bruma has revealed Hamburg are now attempting to make his loan from Chelsea permanent.



- Chile international Francisco Silva could make his debut for Osasuna against Barcelona this weekend after joining on loan from Universidad Catolica until the end of the season.



- Bristol Rovers have completed the signing of teenage striker Ryan Brunt from Stoke City on a two-and-a-half-year deal.



- Nottingham Forest have made a bid for Millwall striker Darius Henderson.



- Radoslaw Majewski has insisted he is keen to stay at Nottingham Forest but wants a longer-term deal than the extension he has been offered.



- Crystal Palace have launched a bid to sign Swindon Town winger Matt Ritchie.



- Dagenham midfielder Luke Howell has signed a new contract which will keep him at the club until 2015.



- Vasco have rejected a bid of around €8 million from Club World Cup champions Corinthians for centre-back Dedé.

Kaka could make an emotional return to Milan

AC Milan have admitted to being in talks with Real Madrid regarding the possibility of taking Kaka back to Italy on loan.



Kaka spent six memorable years at Giuseppe Meazza prior to making a big-money switch to Spain in 2009.



The former World Player of the Year has struggled to produce his best in Madrid, and is now deemed surplus to requirements.



Milan have expressed an interest in his services in the past, but have been unable to put an agreement in place.



They are hoping for a more positive outcome this time around, with a loan offer having been put to Real president Florentino Perez by his Milan counterpart Silvio Berlusconi.



Milan's TV station, Milan Channel, have revealed that negotiations are underway, with Kaka having declared on Wednesday during a visit to Italy that he would be open to a move.



He told Sky Italia: "To come back to Milan, I am ready to do anything.

"It's not a good situation for me at Real Madrid. I have already asked Milan to find a solution because during my time with Milan I enjoyed some of the best moments of my life."

Corinthians Sign Pato from AC Milan

Corinthians have officially signed AC Milan’s Alexandre Pato for a fee of €15 million.



The deal was made official on the websites of both clubs after talks reached a positive conclusion on Thursday evening.



Pato will sign a four-contract with the newly crowned FIFA Club World Club champions and will wear the number 7 jersey for the Timao.



Corinthians paid €15 million for 60% ownership of the player, with Pato now holding 40% of his registration rights. That means that any future sale will result in the player receiving 40% of the transfer fee.



Despite previous reports, it does not appear as though Pato has reduced his wages to complete the move. It also appears as though AC Milan do not have a buy-back clause despite Silvio Berlusconi’s hopes for one.



Thus Pato leaves AC Milan and the Serie A after 5 injury ravaged seasons that included 150 appearances for the Rossoneri to go along with 63 goals.

Boateng praised for standing up to racism

Anti-racism campaigners have praised AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng after he walked off the field in protest at racist abuse during a friendly - followed by his team-mates.



Milan's match against fourth-tier side Pro Patria was abandoned when Boateng, in possession on the left wing in the 26th minute, suddenly picked the ball up and kicked it towards the stand behind him.



The Ghana midfielder then tore off his shirt and walked off the pitch, followed by the rest of the Milan side.



Piara Powar, executive director of European anti-discrimination group FARE, called for the Italian FA to take strong action.



He told the Press Association: "We salute Kevin-Prince Boateng for his actions and his team-mates for their support. This is the not the first time a player has walked off in Italy - if the situation continues it may not be the last.



"Italy, as much as any country in Europe, has a serious problem of racism to deal with. Football infrastructure is in need of renewal and at serious odds with the changing nature of Italian society. We look forward to strong action by the FIGC (Italian FA)."



Russia have also had their problems with racism. A Zenit St Petersburg fans group issued a statement before Christmas calling on the Russian club not to sign black or gay players.



"2013 starts in Italy as 2012 finished in Russia with a stark example of what has become the biggest social challenge facing football," Powar added.



Milan's website said there was also racist abuse by "a minority of Pro Patria fans" at Mbaye Niang, Urby Emanuelson and Sulley Muntari.



Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri told reporters: "We are disappointed and saddened by what has happened. "Milan play for the right to respect all players. We need to stop these uncivilised gestures.



"We are sorry for all the other fans who came here for a beautiful day of sport. We promise to return, and we are sorry for the club and players of Pro Patria, but we could not make any other decision.



"I hope it can be an important signal."



The match was goalless at the time, with Muntari having had a goal disallowed for offside.



Boateng took to Twitter to give his thoughts in a succinct message.



He said: "Shame that these things still happen... #StopRacismforever"

Agent claims Pato close to move

Alexandre Pato's agent says the AC Milan star's move to Corinthians is imminent.



The 23-year-old striker has been in talks over a return to his homeland, with a fee of 15million euros (£12.2m) reported in Italy.



His representative Gilmar Veloz told Brazilian radio network Radio Bandeirantes: "Milan gave the okay to the transfer, we are defining the details. Nothing can hinder the successful conclusion of the deal.



"It is a large transfer which concerns a good young player and Corinthians are making a big effort."



Pato quickly established himself as a favourite at the San Siro after signing from Internacional in 2007, scoring nine goals in his first half-season and reaching double figures in each of the next three campaigns.



However, he scored only once in Serie A and four times altogether last season and has made only seven appearances in all competitions so far this term.

Niang better than Balotelli

AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi believes teenager M'Baye Niang is better than Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli.



The Serie A giants have been heavily linked with the Italy international, whose topsy-turvy temperament and below-par performances have seen him fall out of favour at the Etihad Stadium this season.



The San Siro chief said he had faith in the promising talent at his club, and hopes the team will become a world-class side once more within the next few years.



"We sold (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva for monetary needs, but the others left for age reasons," Berlusconi told Radio Mars.



"Our goal is to return as a big team in three years' time, to start a new cycle with (Stephan) El Shaarawy – who is an extraordinary player – and Mattia De Sciglio, who will become a champion. Niang is better than Balotelli."



After making the same statement earlier in December, Berlusconi also said he was the greatest president in sport.



"We're the team who won most international trophies, we are the most successful team in the world," Berlusconi said.



"I'm the most successful president in the football history, and in second place there is (former Real Madrid president Santiago) Bernabeu, who has a stadium dedicated to him."

AC Milan consider Balotelli bid

AC Milan have added to speculation they are preparing a January bid for Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli.

The former Inter Milan player's future is uncertain in England after starting just one of his club's last eight matches in all competitions, including only making a substitute appearance in Tuesday's 1-0 defeat by Borussia Dortmund.



City boss Roberto Mancini has been a long-term fan of Balotelli but it appears his trust in the £24million summer 2010 signing is slipping after several negative headline-grabbing incidents.



And Milan could be ready to offer the Italy international a return to his homeland with a bid when the transfer window opens in less than a month.



Speaking before Milan's Champions League defeat by Zenit St Petersburg on Tuesday night, boss Massimiliano Allegri said of Balotelli: "He is an important player with extraordinary physical and technical qualities.



"I believe, however, given his qualities, he threw away a few years of his career."



Allegri has also hinted current Milan star Stephan El Shaarawy and Balotelli would make a lethal attacking combination for the club.



"I think they have done good things with the Italian national team," said Allegri. "But I want to talk about AC Milan and the players I have. Then, in January, we will see what happens."



Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has also suggested a move for Balotelli is not just a fantasy after giving a teasing response when asked about the 22-year-old.



Berlusconi told Sky Sport Italia when questioned if Balotelli is a dream: "No, it's not a dream. I never dream."


-->