Newcastle put £4m price tag on Barton

Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton will return to Tyneside for pre-season training on Tuesday with a £4million price tag on his head.Barton, 28, has dismissed suggestions that a new ­contract offer could be back on the table now that he is entering the final year of his existing deal.The Newcastle top brass have scoffed at claims that Barton could be available for as little as £1m and ­insist that any potential buyers need to start talking at four times that figure.
But Barton is adamant that he is in no rush to quit St. James’ Park or even ­follow the lead of his close friend Kevin Nolan, who has joined West Ham, by dropping down to the Championship.