Talks have already taken place with the French winger, according to a report in the sports daily L’Equipe, with the Spanish club offering pounds 4m.
But just as Blackburn have had to pour cold water on rumours of Alan Shearer’s exit and Leeds United have dampened Coventry City’s hopes of taking Gary McAllister, so Newcastle had to put their supporters’ minds at rest.”It is news to us,” Terry McDermott, Newcastle’s assistant manager, said when informed that the former French international – a pounds 2.5m signing from Paris St-Germain 12 months ago – was considering leaving “There has been no contact between Newcastle and Barcelona. In fairness to Walsh, he was in bed with flu last Saturday and might not have been at his best.. It was Newcastle United’s turn to deny a major departure yesterday after David Ginola was said by his agent to be on his way to Bobby Robson’s Barcelona. He won the toss and had he opted to field, himself taking the new ball, he would have given the Somerset dressing-room a few collywobbles. Caddick declared it “a good track”; the bounce was even but the seamers did have some help and there was turn from the old Pavilion End, hence David Allen’s nod to the Off-Spinners’ Union by nominating Harvey Trump man of the match.Gloucestershire’s innings was a disaster; Graham Rose’s breakbacks reduced them to 17 for 2 in four overs; then came Caddick’s hat-trick, only Cunliffe, seven fours in 37 balls, staying long enough to make an impact.Somerset were batting immediately after lunch, and although Jon Lewis caused a flutter when he dismissed Peter Bowler and Richard Harden with successive balls, all Walsh could do was delay the inevitable by using himself and Mike Smith, the two most penetrative bowlers, in short bursts. Monte played a long hop, Simmo got a good one and Rob’s bounced a bit and he pushed it to Harden.”I’ve been on a hat-trick a few times, twice against Lancashire but this is my first. They came out firing, six an over, and we were lucky things went our way.”In fact, it was all over at 3.45pm and the vital statistic is “27.4 overs to spare.” Another abject performance like this and their captain, Courtney Walsh, might reject the new Gloucestershire contract on offer, preferring to find a softer berth to rest the old bones of a great fast bowler.He has to take some of the responsibility The pitch was green and grassy.

A new vote will be taken at the end of Walcott’s term in July next year.. Andy Caddick performed the first hat-trick of his career, leaving Gloucestershire a smoking ruin at 75 for 5 in the 13th over, but was unimpressed “I think I bowled crap,” he said. Such philosophical pondering is unusual in a fast bowler, especially one born in the Antipodes, and called for further explanation. Caddick had been unable to decide whether he was bowling off a short or medium length run; his direction was awry, his length variable.

His first five overs cost 37 runs.
Of his three victims, Monte Lynch waved outside the off-stump at a ball that would have been called a wide had he not made contact; Andrew Symonds went on to the back foot to defend and nicked behind; and Rob Cunliffe steered the first ball of his next over to gully.So how did it happen ? “I was trying to find the right length of run- up to protect a back strain. He took 2 for 23 and scored a 30 in 17 overs.Phillip DeFreitas took the man of the match award in Derbyshire’s two- wicket victory over Kent at Derby but heaped praise on the inexperienced Andrew Harris, who was nerveless after joining him with Derbyshire rocking on 228 for 8 chasing 252 for victory.n The International Cricket Council failed at its meeting at Lord’s last night to elect a successor to Sir Clyde Walcott as chairman when none of the three candidates, Jagmohan Dalmiya, Krish Mackerdhuj and Malcolm Gray, achieved the required two-thirds majority. Worcestershire’s reply was undermined by James taking three quick wickets.Ian Salisbury, not required by England at Trent Bridge, achieved a rare distinction for a leg-spinner in the one-day game when he was named man of the match for his part in a 32-run victory by Sussex over Leicestershire at Grace Road. They shared a stand of 121 in 18 overs, a county record for the fifth wicket, and Irani and Robert Rollins put on 105 in 12 overs, a county best for the sixth wicket.Smith was superb in scoring 158 from 151 balls with 21 fours and two sixes as Hampshire ran up 328 for 6 in their 60 overs to set up a 125- run win over Worcestershire at New Road.Hick, whose England place is under threat, was leg before to Kevan James for a six-ball nought as Worcestershire were all out for 203 inside 54 overs.Smith made a shaky start and survived one difficult chance behind before getting into gear. His second-wicket stand of 179 in 33 overs with Jason Laney laid the foundations for Hampshire’s huge total. Law’s century was his ninth of the summer.The total proved well beyond Durham, despite a fighting century from their captain, Mike Roseberry.