Palermo leaves Villarreal

Out of plans
The Argentinian international arrived at the Primera División club in January 2001 but coach Benito Floro has made it clear Palermo no longer figures in his plans after the arrival of strikers Sonny Anderson and José Mari. He scored 18 goals during his time with the UEFA Intertoto Cup finalists.

Castromán heads home
Another Argentinian on the move is S.S. Lazio midfield player Lucas Castromán, who has returned to CA Vélez Sarsfield. The Roman club have not revealed the financial details of the deal which sees the 22-year-old head back to the club where he started his professional career after three seasons in Italy.

Rytter extends deal
Germany's VfL Wolfsburg - Intertoto Cup finalists like Villarreal - have announced that Danish international Thomas Rytter has extended his contract until 2007. The 29-year-old defender has been with Wolfsburg since December 2001.

Cole loaned to Charlton
Chelsea FC striker Carlton Cole has joined Charlton Athletic on a season-long loan. It will be the second spell out on loan for the 19-year-old, who was at Wolverhampton Wanderers FC for two months last term. "Carlton has a big future at Chelsea and this is a wonderful opportunity for him to improve his education," Chelsea chief executive Trevor Birch told the club's website.

Leeds take Pennant
Another player moving on loan between two Premiership clubs is Arsenal FC's Jermaine Pennant. The 20-year-old has joined Leeds United AFC on a two-month loan.

Elliott injury
Finally, Leicester City FC have lost defender Matt Elliott for at least six weeks after he broke a toe in training. Manager Micky Adams told the Premiership club's official website: "The toe is definitely broken and it looks as though he will be out for a minimum of six weeks. It's obviously a big blow to us."