Hanke signs new Schalke deal

Impressive form
Hanke's previous deal was due to expire at the end of this season but the 20-year-old can now focus on building on his impressive form this season, which has earned him a place in coach Rudi Assauer's starting XI ahead of the experienced Ebbe Sand.

Montpellier postponements
Montpellier-Hérault SC have become victims of the flooding in southern France. After last night's Ligue 1 home match against FC Sochaux-Montbéliard was postponed, they confirmed today that their Mosson stadium - named after the nearby river which has overflowed its banks - would not be ready to host the match against Olympique de Marseille on 13 December either.

'Worse than last year'
Both the pitch and training rooms were flooded this week in a repeat of last year's problems. "It's worse than last year", said Montpellier chairman Laurent Nicollin. "We'll have to rebuild everything".

Drouin sidelined
FC Nantes Atlantique's French Under-21 international midfield player Stephen Drouin faces five weeks out with a knee injury. Drouin, 19, hurt his left knee during the Ligue 1 defeat by SC Bastia on 22 November and the club's medical staff have confirmed surgery is needed to cure the problem.

Villa offload Balaban
Aston Villa FC have finally parted company with Croatian striker Bosko Balaban. The player cost Villa €8.3m when he signed on a five-year deal from NK Dinamo Zagreb in August 2001 but he made just two appearances for the Birmingham side.

Estonian deals
Estonia's FC Levadia Maardu have signed midfield player Konstantin Nahk from Finnish Veikkausliiga side FC Jokerit Helsinki. It will be the 28-year-old's third spell with Levadia, with whom he has signed a 12-month contract with the possibility of a year's extension. Estonian champions FC Flora, meanwhile, have released forward Aleksandr Kulik, winger Aleksandr Tarassenkov and goalkeeper Mihhail Starodubtsev. All three have joined JK Trans Narva.