David Moyes made an eleventh hour bid to sign Newcastle winger James Milner last night with a £10m offer. This could now ignite a bidding war between the Everton and Villa, although Toon boss Kevin Keegan seemed unhappy to sell Milner in the first place. There is clearly tension between Keegan and the board and it seems as though Everton and Villa are just taking advantage of the situation, but how long will Keegan put up with his plans being interfered with?

David Moyes is attempting to hijack Martin O'Neill's swoop for the England Under-21 star. Villa yesterday met Newcastle's £10m asking price and are confident of getting their man.

Milner's future will be decided this morning amid growing tension at St James' Park. Club owner Mike Ashley and executive director Dennis Wise want to cash in on Milner as part of a drive to cut the wage bill.

But boss Kevin Keegan has a thin squad and is adamant Milner should be given a pay rise as one of the young players he wants to build his team around. Moyes' move came after losing out to Liverpool in the race to sign £9m Spain winger Alberto Riera. Keegan looks increasingly likely to lose his battle with Ashley, damaging his position ahead of the trip to Arsenal.

Milner was last night pulled out of the Newcastle squad for the weekend, despite training yesterday and attending a shirt-signing session with fans.

Although he has handed in a transfer request, it was designed to hasten talks over a new and improved contract and Milner would be reluctant to leave. Fellow first-team regulars earn double his £30,000 a week. (THE MIRROR)


Is James Milner worth £10m+? Where would be the best move for a young player, Everton or Aston Villa? Is Keegan right to be upset by the board selling a player he wants instead of improving his contract?