Toon boss likes game of Ludo!

Jun 10 2007 By Neil Farrington, The Sunday Sun

Newcastle are on the trail of French flier Ludovic Giuly. The Barcelona forward is resigned to leaving the Nou Camp, and is on Sam Allardyce's radar as he continues his rebuilding work at United.

Giuly, 30, is a target for Marseille, Monaco, Fiorentina and Juventus, but his commercial representative, Sebastien Riera, told the Sunday Sun: "Ludo is aware of Newcastle's interest."

Bolton's El-Hadji Diouf is a possible alternative target to Giuly for the role of right-sided attacker in Allardyce's favoured 4-3-3 formation.

But with sources suggesting Diouf may be out of contract next summer, Allardyce may prefer to wait until January to make a cut-price - and hugely controversial - raid on his old club.

Allardyce last night admitted he would be helpless to prevent Michael Owen from leaving United if another club triggers the release clause in the England striker's contract.

"There's nothing I can do about it," said Big Sam. "We are benefiting from a release clause to get Joey Barton, but could suffer because of Michael's."

But with the Premiership's top clubs likely to want further proof of his fitness, Owen may stay put at Newcastle until at least January, when his release fee - which drops by 25 per cent a year - would stand below £9 million.

Marseille right-back Habib Beye has also entered Allardyce's thinking as he looks to bolster a defence set to be strengthened by the signings of centre-backs Ben Tal Haim and David Rohzenhal this week.

Meanwhile, Joey Barton's pay-off wrangle with Manchester City "won't stand in the way of him joining Newcastle", according to his agent, Willie McKay.