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Wednesday 8 June 2011

Newcastle Reject West Ham £3m Bid for Nolan

NEWCASTLE UNITED have turned down a bid for captain Kevin Nolan from West Ham United – according to sources in London’s East End.The Toon captain was the subject of a £3m offer from the Hammers last night, with his former Bolton Wanderers boss Sam Allardyce keen to be reunited with Nolan at Upton Park as he looks to lead West Ham out of the Championship at the first attempt.Yet if the failed United boss harbours any hopes of capturing Nolan he must up his bid for whom Newcastle paid £4m in January 2009.Both Nolan and Allardyce – who is also understood to have an interest in Joey Barton – helped transform the Trotters from a Championship play-off outfit into European material until Big Sam’s departure in 2007.Nolan recently rejected a new deal with the Magpies, but the paltry initial bid for the Scouser was always likely to be knocked back given the 28-year-old’s contributions this season which resulted in 12 goals – one more than England star Wayne Rooney.Nolan will turn 29 this month but was a key figure in uniting the dressing room in the aftermath of relegation and is keen to remain on Tyneside to see out the peak years of his career.Yet with United seemingly unwilling to have players in the 30 plus bracket on long contracts, it appears that Nolan’s hopes of a long-term deal are slim unless he is prepared to take a pay cut.

This was underlined by confirmation that Alan Smith will be allowed to leave on a free transfer this summer, while Barton has already been told there is no new contract offer on the table for him when his current deal runs out next summer.

But despite reports, when Big Sam was asked if he was interested in Smith, he simply replied: “No.”

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