Magpies Ben Arfa saga still rumbles

20 August 2010 10:22
THE transfer saga surrounding Newcastle United target Hatem Ben Arfa took yet another twist last night when Werder Bremen's sporting director Klaus Allofs denied the club were about the sign the Frenchman.[LNB] Reports emerged yesterday that Ben Arfa, 23, was on his way to Germany to thrash out terms with the Bundesliga side after Marseille had accepted a £6.5m bid for the attacking midfielder.[LNB] Having sold German World Cup star Mesut Ozil to Real Madrid for £20m, Bremen were reportedly in the market for a replacement creative midfielder and had set their sights on the wantaway star.[LNB] However, the saga looks set to rumble on after Allofs denied any interest in the player, admitting: We do not need a replacement for Mesut.[LNB] While we always look for players to improve ourselves, Ben Arfa is not one of them.[LNB] Aloffs' admission could mean Newcastle are still in with a chance of signing Ben Arfa, who flew into Tyneside last Friday to try and push a move to the Magpies through, despite Marseille's reluctance to agree a loan deal.[LNB] Despite Ben Arfa's arrival on Tyneside, nothing was agreed and Newcastle looked to have admitted defeat in their bid to sign the player with Chris Hughton turning his attention to other targets.[LNB] Hughton has endured a frustrating transfer window so far, but remains confident of strengthening his squad before the window shuts of August 31.[LNB] A defensive midfielder and a couple of forwards remain Hughton's main targets. Yesterday the club was linked with a move for Norwegian midfielder Per Ciljan Skjelbred who starred in Rosenborg's 2-1 win over Copenhagen in their Champions League qualifying tie on Tuesday.[LNB] Skjelbred who is rumoured to be an avid Newcastle fan has been on Hughton's radar for a while and he could well make a move for 23-year-old having missed out on Ben Arfa.[LNB] The club has again been linked with a move for Dutch central midfielder Leroy Fer from Feyenoord.[LNB] Despite reports saying they have already had an earlier bid rejected, the Dutch side are said to be in financial difficulties, so a deal could still be struck for the 20-year-old.[LNB]

Source: Northern_Echo