Soccer / Football : France : Ligue 1 2008/2009

Marseille have agreed to sign defender Souleymane Diawara from French champion Bordeaux and midfielder Edouard Cisse from Besiktas. Diawara, 30, arrives on a four-year contract and was likely to cost around €5m. Cisse, 31, returns to his native country joining on a free transfer from the Turkish champions and penning a two-year deal. This week, Marseille also agreed to sign Lucho Gonzalez from Porto on a four-year contract for around €18m.

Marseille have agreed to sign Lucho Gonzalez from Portuguese champions Porto. The Argentine midfielder is expected to cost Marseille a club record fee in the region of €18m. The 28-year-old has been sidelined since April with a knee problem but Marseille are confident the player will pass his medical and will sign a four-year contract. Gonzalez has been a key performer for Porto since joining the club from River Plate during the 2005/06 season.

French champions Bordeaux have announced the signing of goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso from Toulouse. His transfer fee is thought to have been in the region of €10 million. The 27-year-old is France's third-choice goalkeeper but has yet to win his first cap for Les Bleus. Carrasso joined Toulouse last summer from Marseille and helped them finish fourth in Ligue 1 last term and with the best defensive record in the French top flight.

Paris Saint-Germain have signed goalkeeper Gregory Coupet from Atletico Madrid, while Mickael Landreau has left for Lille. Coupet has returned to his homeland on a two-year contract after failing to secure a regular place at Atletico, who he joined last July. The 36-year-old former Lyon star should also be joined at PSG by Sochaux' Turkish forward Mevlut Erding. The 29-year-old Landreau, who had one year remaining on his PSG contract, has moved to Lille on a three-year deal to make room for Coupet's arrival.

Toulouse have signed goalkeeper Yohann Pele on a four-year free transfer deal from Le Mans. The 26-year-old has decided to leave Le Mans after eleven years and 165 league matches with the club. Pele replaces Bordeaux-bound Cedric Carrasso. Toulouse have already brought in Cameroonian defender Dany Nounkeu, Antoine Devaux and Brazilian midfielder Luan this summer.

Japan midfielder Junichi Inamoto has joined Rennes from German side Eintracht Frankfurt as a free agent. The 29-year-old, who has won 71 caps for Japan, has agreed a two-year contract. Inamoto started his professional career under new Rennes coach Frederic Antonetti while both men were at Gamba Osaka in Japan.

Ligue 1 newcomers Boulogne have appointed Laurent Guyot as their new coach on a two-year deal. Guyot, 39, a former director of Nantes' youth academy, replaces Philippe Montanier, who left the club last week to take charge of Valenciennes. Montanier lifted Boulogne up from the amateur leagues into the top flight in just five years. They finished third in the French second division last season, behind Lens and Montpellier.

Valenciennes have appointed Philippe Montanier as their head coach on a three-year deal. The 44-year-old replaces Antoine Kombouare, who left Valenciennes last week to become the Paris St Germain coach. Montanier joined from Boulogne who have just won promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time in their history. He was named the Ligue 2 coach of the year for his work in guiding the club to third place this season.