Rangers no to Magpies £7½m swoop for Boumsong

RANGERS have rejected a bid from Newcastle for central defender Jean-Alain Boumsong but that is unlikely to deter manager Graeme Souness.

Souness revealed yesterday he had tabled a bid, believed to be around £7.5m, for the France defender. However, the Ibrox side moved quickly to turn down the offer for a player who only joined them on a free transfer from Auxerre in the summer.

And officials at the Scottish club were furious Souness decided to go public with the bid just hours before they were to take on Auxerre in a crucial UEFA Cup match.