Newcastle purse strings tighten on Dalglish

NEWCASTLE United have made it clear to their new manager Kenny Dalglish that no money is available to buy players, reports say.

Dalglish, who took over after Kevin Keegan's resignation, has reportedly been told he will have to sell players before he can buy any.

Newcastle, lying fourth in the championship, have spent more than GBP60 million on new players over the past five years.

The club is shortly to become a public company with a listing on the stock exchange which it hopes will bring in between GBP40-50 million. It wants to spend the money mainly on a new stadium with a capacity of 55,000.

Newcastle have reached the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup but last Sunday were eliminated from the FA Cup by relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest.

To raise cash, the club is thinking of selling players such as Paul Kitson and Colombian Faustino Asprilla, whose combined worth is put at GBP10 million.