• Premier League

Pardew laughs off Cabaye-to-Barcelona talk

ESPN staff
July 11, 2012
Yohan Cabaye joined Newcastle for £4.8 million © Getty Images
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Alan Pardew has laughed off reports that Barcelona could prise midfielder Yohan Cabaye away from Newcastle United for as little at £8 million.

Cabaye, 26, proved one of the buys of last season after making a £4.8 million switch from French double-winners Lille, and further enhanced his reputation on international duty with France at Euro 2012 this summer.

Reports on Wednesday morning suggested Barca were weighing up whether to make a bid for Cabaye, or his French midfield team-mate Yann M'Vila, but with the Magpies ready to fend off all but "silly money" offers for their players, Pardew has warned the Spanish giants not to bother.

Pardew said: "The interest is purely speculative. We have had no contact and certainly no offer, and obviously we wouldn't even consider an offer anywhere near that region."

Cabaye is the latest in a long line of Newcastle players to have been linked with summer moves away from the north-east after excelling in last season's surprise surge to fifth place in the Premier League.

"The type of club we are, where we are not in the higher reaches of European football, we haven't got that finance and our players are going to be linked to other clubs," Pardew said.

"It's flattering to us and to Cabaye to be linked with Barcelona," the Newcastle boss added, before joking: "I probably leaked it myself."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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