Djorkaeff joins Bolton's relegation fight

Youri Djorkaeff, the French international midfielder, is signing for Bolton Wanderers and will become the club's record wage-earner as the Premiership side try to avoid relegation.

The 33-year-old has agreed to join for the rest of the season on £50,000 a week, the same wages he was earning in Germany with Kaiserslautern. The deal sees Djorkaeff arrive today and he is likely to make his debut at Southampton on Saturday week. He is keen to play in an attempt to make the French World Cup squad.

Fabien Barthez, the Manchester United goalkeeper, is an injury worry for United as they prepare for the resumption of the Champions' League. Barthez hurt his back in training and United's medical staff think he may be out for a few weeks – certainly a minimum of two.

The French goalkeeper did the damage in training before the Charlton game. United are so concerned that they have pulled their reserve goalkeeper, Roy Carroll, out of the Northern Ireland squad, due to play Poland tomorrow. The reserve goalkeeper is officially injured, but Sir Alex Ferguson is taking no risks. Carroll may be required to play against Nantes in the Champions' League next week.

Barthez has his own training regime at United because of his back problems and is also allowed extra time off although he has abused that privilege lately with a late-night visit to London. The overall cause of the back problem is not known, but long-distance driving cannot be helping Barthez stay in peak condition.

Barthez's injury has forced the France coach, Roger Lemerre, to call the Lyon goalkeeper Gregory Coupet into his squad for tomorrow's friendly against Romania.

Matthew Upson, the Arsenal defender, has suffered a leg fracture and could be out for at least six weeks, the club announced yesterday.

Upson limped off after 30 minutes of his side's 1-0 victory over Everton on Sunday, and a report on the Arsenal website has confirmed the injury as a fracture of his right fibula. "Matthew is seeing a specialist [today], but it is likely he will be out for at least six weeks," the report said.

Upson, 22, has enjoyed his best season yet at Highbury, after injuries hampered his progress since joining from Luton Town in 1997. A ruptured cruciate ligament in December 1999 kept him out of the side for almost a year but Upson managed to force his way back into the squad before being forced onto the sidelines once again with injuries last season.

Craig Bellamy faces "internal disciplinary action" from Newcastle over an incident in the early hours of last Tuesday.

The Wales striker was cautioned by police after an alleged common assault on a 21-year-old woman, and the club said yesterday that Bellamy had committed a "serious breach" of club rules. But Newcastle have chosen not to reveal what punishment they have imposed until Bellamy, who is on Wales duty in Cardiff ahead of tomorrow's friendly against Argentina, has been told.

As regards the players who were with Bellamy, Newcastle's statement read: "In relation to Carl Cort and Wayne Quinn, these players were not directly involved. However, the manager has expressed to the players his extreme displeasure at the fact that they should be found to have been socialising in the early hours of the morning. The fourth player, Kieron Dyer, has been exonerated from any blame whatsoever."

The Danish champions FC Copenhagen are interested in buying an English First Division side to use as a feeder club, although they have also identified Second Division Huddersfield Town as a possible partner, according to Danish reports.

"We're seriously looking for an English First Division team to buy," the Copenhagen director, Flemming Ostergaard, said. Ostergaard wants Copenhagen to secure 51 per cent of any team they purchase.