Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg has admitted he would "insane" to turn down an approach from Manchester United, but insists the only offer currently on the table is a contract extension from his current club.

GettyImagesMaarten Stekelenburg: Ajax contract expires next year

• Stekelenburg drops Dutch trophy

With United's veteran 'keeper Edwin van der Sar due to retire at the end of the season, the man who replaced him in the Dutch national team has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford.

Stekelenburg celebrated winning the Dutch Eredivisie title with Ajax on Sunday and although he said he was happy at the Amsterdam ArenA, the 28-year-old admitted he would like to hear from United.

"I have received a fantastic offer from Ajax which is under consideration," Stekelenburg told NUsport magazine. "There has been nothing else, zero. Maybe because I have been injured."

But he added: "Anybody who does not want to play for Manchester United would be insane."

Stekelenburg has one year left to run on his contract at Ajax, but says he is in no rush to finalise his future as he waits to see if other offers materialise.

"I wanted to see how things develop," he said. "Nothing has happened, so I will talk with Ajax. I have had a fantastic time here and I have great respect for the board.

"I have always been treated very well. They have made a fantastic offer, and a second meeting is scheduled. But it has to do with whether anything else might come my way."

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has expressed his regret over the appointment of Avram Grant last summer, labelling it a "bad selection" by the board.

GettyImagesDavid Sullivan: Tried to replace Grant with Martin O'Neill in January

• Cole to take big wage cut
• McClaren rules himself out
• Gold: We'll get next appointment right
• Police called to West Ham party
• Forum: Job a poisoned chalice?

Grant, was hired by the Hammers last May despite having just led Portsmouth to relegation from the Premier League, and he repeated the feat this term - with West Ham rarely leaving the bottom three all season and eventually going down on Sunday after a 3-2 defeat at Wigan.

The Israeli was sacked by co-owners Sullivan and David Gold within an hour of the final whistle and leaves Upton Park with an unimpressive record, which has seen him spend 67 of the past 71 weeks in the relegation zone with Pompey and then the Hammers.

Sullivan and Gold sounded out Martin O'Neill about replacing Grant in January but after being snubbed they ended up giving the former Chelsea boss an unconvincing vote of confidence.

"The entire board is 100% behind Avram," Sullivan told ESPNsoccernet in January. "He is a really decent person who deserves our support."

While Sullivan still believes Grant is a favourable character, the Hammers co-owner says that, in retrospect, hiring him was the wrong decision.

"Avram is a lovely person but the results sadly speak for themselves that it was a bad selection by the board,'' Sullivan told The Sun. "We all share some blame for the results - the board, the manager and the team.

"However, the team can only play the tactics and formation they are asked to play. We want a manager who will get the best out of the squad and foster a strong team spirit.''

Sullivan also moved to ease fears that relegation from the top flight would have dire financial implications for the club.

"Debts will fall as we [the owners] will put in more money,'' he said. The financial burden to us and our families will rise, not the debts of the club.''

ESPNsoccernet can reveal Carlton Cole's salary will be cut by 50% following West Ham's relegation from the Premier League but the striker could move to Newcastle United.

GettyImagesCarlton Cole missed a glorious chance to win the game against Wigan

• Sullivan regrets Grant appointment
• McClaren rules himself out
• Police called to West Ham party
• Forum: Job a poisoned chalice?

Cole has a clause written into his contract which ensures his wage will be cut in half after the club failed to retain their place in the top flight when losing 3-2 to Wigan Athletic at the weekend.

A club source told ESPNsoccernet: "Now his wages halve in the Championship, so he might move anywhere."

Such a significant drop in earnings could well persuade the England international to leave the Hammers and join a Premier League club, and in the past he has expressed a desire to stay in the south.

However, it is understood Newcastle manager Alan Pardew, who signed Cole for West Ham in 2006, views the player as a possible replacement for Andy Carroll following his £35 million move to Liverpool in January.

Cole was valued at £15 million by West Ham 12 months ago but the club are now likely to accept around half of that. However, they are in no rush to offload the player given his contractual situation.

It is understood that no decision will be taken on the future of Cole, or other members of the relegated squad, before a new manager is appointed to replace Avram Grant.

Japan have withdrawn from playing in this summer's Copa America, with Blue Samurai chiefs citing the country's recent devastating earthquake and subsequent rescheduling of the J-League as a key factor.

GettyImagesJ-League fixtures were temporarily suspended after Japan was hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami in March

Since 1993, two non-South American nations have been invited to compete in the continent's premier international tournament and Japan had been set to make their second appearance in the competition, having last played in 1999 when they finished bottom of their group.

But a combination of factors, including the earthquake and tsunami, as well as European clubs' refusal to release players for the tournament, has led to the decision to pull out of the competition, which takes place from July 1-24 in Argentina.

Japan Football Association (JFA) president Junji Ogura announced the decision after sending an official message to the Argentina Football Association (AFA), notifying president Julio Grondona of the withdrawal.

"With all due considerations, we cannot form a team to participate in such an important tournament as the Copa America and lamentably we must withdraw our place in the competition," Ogura said.

The JFA had been trying to strike an agreement with German clubs, in particular, but most Bundesliga pre-season camps begin during the tournament and so no deal could be reached.

Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni said: "I respect the JFA's decision and am deeply grateful to the authorities of the JFA, CONMEBOL and FIFA, who worked enthusiastically towards our participation in the tournament.

"This year has turned to be an exceptional year following the East Japan disaster and that has put us in a situation where we have to make a difficult decision like this one.''

The third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup will get under way in September and Japan will now have three friendly matches - Kirin Cup games against Peru on June 1 in Niigata and Czech Republic on June 7 in Yokohama - and against South Korea on August 10 in Sapporo to prepare.

Zaccheroni added: "We would like to move on to set our full focus on our preparation for our important games in the World Cup qualifiers.''

Mexico, the second invited team, will return to make their eighth appearance at the Copa America, but it looks unlikely that any other nation will be able to fill Japan's place at such short notice. The USA competed at the 2007 edition of the tournament, though they lost all three of their group games.

The 2011 Copa America will be shown live and exclusive on ESPN UK, with all 26 matches screened between July 1 and the July 24 final.

Scotland international Garry O'Connor has been arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine.

O'Connor, who started his career at Hibernian and has also played for Birmingham and Lokomotiv Moscow, was allegedly caught with the Class A drug in Edinburgh during the early hours of Saturday morning.

The striker, from Port Seton, East Lothian, was detained by police but released without charge pending further examination. O'Connor is currently without a club after leaving Barnsley last month.

On Sunday, officers allegedly caught two Hearts players with an illegal substance. Ian Black, 26, and Robert Ogleby, 19, were detained on suspicion of possessing a Class A drug and later released.

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "We had two people detained, both were cautioned and charged.''