Souness ponders move for Anelka

NEWCASTLE could be ready to turn to controversial Frenchman Nicolas Anelka in their desperate search for a new striker.

The former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Manchester City forward is one of the names under consideration by Graeme Souness as the manager seeks to replace Craig Bellamy and Patrick Kluivert.

Souness spent yesterday warding off speculation linking Jermaine Jenas with Arsenal, admitting though that a £20million bid, which is highly unlikely, might be hard to refuse.

He is more interested in recruiting than selling his best players, and Anelka, currently with Turkish club Fenerbahce, is understood to have been sounded out as Newcastle look for the right man to partner skipper Alan Shearer in his final season.

Anelka certainly has the pedigree and, having sold the troublesome duo of Bellamy and Laurent Robert, Souness may have to make allowances for a player whose attitude has been questioned more than once during his career.

Newcastle begin their season in Slovakia tomorrow with an Intertoto Cup clash with Dubnica.

They are preparing for the tie while attempting to bring new players to St James’ Park and attempting to stave off an expected approach from Arsenal for Jenas.

Both Souness and chairman Freddy Shepherd have insisted that the 22-year-old is not for sale.

“I am not going to comment on speculation,” Souness insisted. “The only thing I will say is we are not in the business of selling our best players and I am not going to talk about it. We have a big game to try to concentrate on, on Sunday.

“It is not going to be an easy game for us because of the lack of fitness we will have and the fitness that the other team will have, so that really is what we are concentrating on, not speculating who is leaving or who is arriving.”

But pressed on the matter, he added: “For £20m, the chairman might be tempted.”

Jenas has been left out of the 18-man party which will leave for Slovakia today.

He, along with Stephen Carr, Shay Given and Jean-Alain Boumsong, only returned to pre-season training on Monday after international duty extended their seasons into June, and that is the given reason for his omission.