Magpies not due sell-on fee

21 May 2010 10:50
NEWCASTLE will not be due a sell-on fee if James Milner completes a multi-million pound move to Manchester City, but the Magpies will receive the final £4m installment of the 24-year-old's £12m transfer fee whatever happens this summer.[LNB] Milner is due to meet Aston Villa officials when England's World Cup squad returns to London next week to play their opening warm-up game against Mexico.[LNB] Villa turned down City's £20m bid for the midfielder on Wednesday evening, but City are expected to return with an improved offer.[LNB] That had led to hopes that Newcastle could be due a proportion of any sale fee after selling Milner to Villa in 2008.[LNB] However, it is understood that a sell-on clause does not exist as a result of the hard bargaining that saw Newcastle push Villa's offer from £8m to £12m in the hours leading up to the England international's departure.[LNB] Former executive director Dennis Wise was involved in the negotiating process, with Villa initially having refused to go above £8m.[LNB] Newcastle's refusal to budge eventually saw the price rise to £12m, but in order for the deal to be sealed, Villa insisted on the removal of any sell-on clause.[LNB] The Magpies agreed, and with most sell-on clauses being ten per cent or less, they will have profited from the arrangement provided City do not go above £40m in the next few weeks, something that appears exceedingly unlikely.[LNB] Villa have already paid two £4m installments of Milner's transfer fee, and Newcastle will be due a final payment of a further £4m no matter what club the midfielder ends up playing for next season.[LNB] While Milner appears all but certain to be involved in next month's World Cup finals, Fabricio Coloccini has expressed his disappointment at the manner of his exclusion from the Argentina squad that will travel to South Africa.[LNB] Coloccini was one of seven players axed from Diego Maradona's provisional squad on Wednesday evening, but the Newcastle centre-half only discovered his fate when he turned on the television yesterday.[LNB] The decisions of the coach must be respected, and it's not only me who has been left out, but many players, said Coloccini.[LNB] But no one from the coaching staff contacted me to tell me.[LNB] Once I get beyond this hard time, I will be Argentina's number one fan, and I hope we come out champions.[LNB] Like any player would be, I am sad about this decision.[LNB] But I give all my support to these players to take Argentina to the top of the world.[LNB] We should not be selfish and that is why I wish the best to the guys.''[LNB]

Source: Northern_Echo