According to PlanetFootball our latest transfer target is Athletico Madrid's Hugo Leal - but they suggest the response could yet again be negative as he has already rejected an opportunity to head for the PL with Fulham! Apparently Leal was once dubbed the 'new Luis Figo'.

Planet Football add: Newcastle would struggle to convice the wide man that his future lies in England, and Paris Saint Germain are favourites to sign him, after he held talks with Luis Fernandez last week. However, PSG are refusing to offer the asking price for Leal, which is leading the rojiblanco to invite alternative bids.
Of course, PSG could raise funds to sign the player by selling Laurent Robert to Tyneside, and their need for Leal would be greater if they sold their French international.
Robson has reiterated his desire to only bring in foreign stars that are committed to the cause at Newcastle, after some unhappy experiences at the club under Ruud Gullit. "I only want players who want to play for Newcastle United," he stated. "We will still get players in, but we will only pay sensible money for sensible players, and we will act wisely in the transfer market".

In tonight's Ronnie, Alan Oliver says "My information is that United have irons in the fire for four players - and they will be disappointed if they don't sign at least two of them".

-- Anonymous, July 16, 2001

Answers

Teamtalk are reporting that we are weighing up a £3 million swoop for Norwegian striker Thorstein Helstad after giving up hope of signing Laurent Robert.

They add:
"Contrary to reports elsewhere, it has emerged that United's talks with PSG star Robert stalled on personal terms rather than the method of paying his £10million fee. The player demanded £6million over four years - or £30,000 a week - and Newcastle bosses deemed that demand unreasonable.
Robert is now trying to resurrect the deal through his agent but United will not be held to ransom and are now considering an alternative move for Helstad, who was top scorer in his domestic league last season and looks like repeating the trick this term".

-- Anonymous, July 16, 2001

ok... I know you lot depend on your Ronnie a lot, and I have often wondered who or what it is... can anyone explain? Is it any more viable a source than the rest?

-- Anonymous, July 16, 2001

sparxx,
The 'Ronnie Gill' is the Newcastle Evening Chronicle - named I think after the news-venders call which sounds remarkably like "Ronnie Gill". They have local reporters like Alan Oliver who should have an inside track at the Club, but somehow I have my doubts they routinely get much inside information.
The morning paper, The Journal, has a tendency on quiet days to pick up stories 'lock, stock & two smoking barrels' from the internet.

-- Anonymous, July 16, 2001

If Robert is as good as YBR seems to think (he's prepared to lash out £10M for him), then putting him in his place in terms of wages is a good idea. It seems he (or more likely l'agent provocateur) has built up his expectatins higher than will be realised.

By opening interest in another international (like Robert, only on the fringes??), it signals that NUFC won't be p!$$ed about with. Indeed, perhaps YBR is thinking that there isn't £7M worth of difference between them? However, I suspect this sort of "game" could wor out in our favour and we may end up signing Robert on our terms and not his.

-- Anonymous, July 16, 2001

You never know who or what to believe as newspapers scrabble round for stories and fans seize on the slightest rumour but I did enjoy reading that we seem to be quite tough in the negotiations. It is good that we have apparently rejected Robert's demands, apparently lost interest and now he wants to come crawling and set the deal in motion again. It would appear that some lessons may have been learned during the pain of the past 5 years. Good luck to Freddie and YBR in getting the right kind of player in.

-- Anonymous, July 16, 2001

Swift is reporting on another thread that Zenden's little games are also in danger of back-firing on him, and that right now he has two choices open to him - rot at Barcelona, or join a fantastic Club in the PL with ready access to his homeland. It would serve him right if we now told him to get stuffed.

All of a sudden things seen to be moving slightly in our direction, and as Screacher points out if either Robert or Zenden sign for us now the good news is it will be more on our terms, rather than entirely theirs.
If that happens then Freddie Shepherd in particular should be roundly congratulated.

-- Anonymous, July 17, 2001

Yes. Signing Zenden or Robert would send signals to other good players that we again are a club with ambitions.

-- Anonymous, July 17, 2001

I think Shepherd is working himself pretty hard in the clubs cause. He gets stick when its deserved but now i reckon he deserves a bit of credit. And if he pulls of a deal then more power to his hand. BUT i hope he knows what he's doing when/if he signs a foreigner. They have to be 100% certain he's no you know what.

-- Anonymous, July 17, 2001

The reality swift is that you can never be 100% certain, even with British signings. However, there is evidence we have been less than diligent in considering some of our past signings. I hope we've learnt the lessons and done our homework this time around.

-- Anonymous, July 17, 2001