Harry Pratt Reports MARK Goldberg has raised the necessary finance to complete the £30million takeover of Crystal Palace after selling 2.5 million shares in his computer company MSB International on Thursday for around £28million. The Kent businessman, who had already put down a substantial deposit, has now promised to clinch the long-running package to buy Palace by the end of May. And that means Terry Venables, as 365 revealed many full moons ago, will become manager of the relegated south Londoners in the close season, having agreed a huge five-year contract worth potentially £15million depending on the club's share price at the end of that period. Yet amazingly considering the amount of money, the package does not include ownership of the Selhurst Park freehold nor the club's new state-of-the-art training ground. Both those will remain under the control of selling chairman Ron Noades. Goldberg intends to meet with the club's bankers next Tuesday to prove the cash is there and it now seems the recent Noades' bleating regarding Goldberg's credentials and the proposed changes are now irrelevant. In the meantime, though, Noades, who is selling an 85 per cent stake, has employed coaches Ray Lewington and Brian Sparrow to run the team for the last three games after player-boss Attilio Lombardo resigned this week to assume a playing role only. Doubts had been raised as to whether Goldberg would come up with the money in time. But the sale of the self-made millionaire's shares seems certain to pave the way for his arrival - belated as it is after the original target of early February proved beyond Goldberg's means. His long-term policy is to invest further millions into the squad and to restructure the whole club with Italian giants Juventus lending technical expertise in return for shares. Meanwhile, Noades said claims that Lombardo had expected to continue in the role for relegated Palace's three remaining games were 'laughable' and insisted the Italian was happy with the arrangement. He said: ''I spoke to the interpreter regarding Attilio's position because he did not want to be manager next season. He did not want to be manager. Instead he wants to concentrate on playing.''

CITY IN A SWEAT OVER KINKLADZE   Georgi Kinkladze is prepared to play two games in two days if it means helping Manchester City in their hour of need. The brilliant midfielder had been written out of boss Joe Royle's plans for the day of destiny clash at Stoke on Sunday, but Kinky claims he can come flying to the rescue…literally. As City contemplate the most important game in their 104-year history, one which could see them relegated to the Second Division even if they win, Kinkladze has been forced to fly to Tunisia for a Georgian friendly international scheduled for Saturday. It is a major blow for City, having re-introduced their superstar to the relegation fray last weekend for the first time in six weeks of poor form, injury and transfer negotiations with Ajax who is expected to join in the summer. Kinkladze scored a wonder free kick in the 2-2 draw with QPR and has spent the week training with City as the Maine Road club tried to win his release from international duty. Their hopes were killed off yesterday when Kinkladze was instructed to fly to Tunis. But before he left on the 2.00pm flight, he left some hope that he could be back for the Sunday lunch-time crunch clash with fellow relegation strugglers Stoke at a 28,000 sell out Britannia Ground. Kinkladze said: ''I have to play for Georgia, that is their decision. But if I can I will come back on Sunday morning, maybe in time for the match, it is possible for me to play two games in two days.'' Royle, who left Kinkladze out in the cold for so long before his comeback last weekend, is not considering the 23 year-old for such a crucial game, but if the Georgian turns up at the team hotel on Sunday morning, he may well have to revise those plans. Royle said: ''We tried, and we tried hard, to get him released. But their coach said they had so many players out injured they couldn't consider it. ''It's something we have to live with and accept. When you have non EC players they sometimes don't play their internationals at the same time as everyone else so unfortunately this has happened and there's not much we can do about it.'' Even if Manchester City win against a side equally desperate to avoid the drop, the only way they would stay up is if either Port Vale or Portsmouth lose their respective away games at Huddersfield and Bradford.

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