ROME - FERNANDO Alonso has a secret agreement to join Ferrari for four years from 2011, Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Sunday.

The twice Formula One world champion has never hidden his desire to go to the Italian team and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo recently fuelled the ongoing speculation by refusing to rule out the Spaniard's future arrival.

NEWCASTLE - ENGLISH Premiership club Newcastle United is no longer for sale, owner Mike Ashley said on Sunday after failing to find a buyer.

The billionaire sportswear magnate has decided to push ahead with his own plans for the club following a fruitless three-month campaign to find an interested party.

PARIS - JAPANESE manufacturers Mitsubishi aim to lift the recent gloom which has enveloped the country's motorsport industry by clinching an eighth successive Dakar Rally title next month.

The gruelling two-week race, which gets underway on January 3, has been switched from Africa to the relative stability of Argentina and Chile after the 2008 edition was cancelled because of security fears.