Cabaye not for sale; Only ridiculous bid would lure Ince

Newly appointed Newcastle United director of football Joe Kinnear has revealed that highly-rated midfielder Yohan Cabaye is not for sale despite ongoing speculation linking the France international with AS Monaco FC and Manchester United, Sky Sports understands.

Cabaye, 27, has been strongly linked with a move to Ligue 1 moneybags Monaco and Premier League champions Manchester United in recent weeks, with both clubs seeking to bolster their midfield ahead of next season.

The France international seems to have welcomed the speculation as well, putting Magpies’ supporters on the edge of their seats.

However, Kinnear has revealed the Tyneside club are unwilling to part ways with Cabaye, and rightfully so.

“He will stay. We’ve got him under contract and we want to keep all of our top players here. We don’t feel we have to sell our top stars,” Kinnear told the Evening Chronicle.

“The only players we will move on are the ones that are coming up short. You can’t have that at a massive football club like this.

“We will have to move them on. We can’t have mediocre players at Newcastle United. But we won’t be selling our best players.”

Cabaye, whose current contract at St James’ Park runs out in the summer of 2016, bagged six goals and two assists in 35 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle United last season.

Only ridiculous bid would lure Ince

Blackpool F.C. boss Paul Ince has admitted it would take ‘a ridiculous offer’ to sign his son Tom this summer, Sky Sports reports.

The Seasiders have managed to keep hold of the England Under-21 international despite serious interest from a number of English clubs, including Liverpool and Swansea City.

Premier League newcomers Crystal Palace as well as Tottenham Hotspur are also reportedly keeping tabs on the 21-year-old ace.

Blackpool have no interest in offloading Ince despite the fact that he only has 12 months remaining on his current deal at Bloomfield Road.

“We knew there would be a lot of interest in Thomas and that’s proving to be the case,” Paul Ince told the Blackpool Gazette.

“But speaking to him, he will be happy to come and play here again. I’m not saying he doesn’t want to go and play in the Premier League because I know one day he will.

“If we can keep him for the next 12 months, then it will save us from looking elsewhere.

“We’d like to keep him but if someone makes a ridiculous offer we’ll have to look at it. Fingers crossed he’ll be here again next year.”

Ince bagged 18 goals and 14 assists in 44 appearances in the Football League Championship for Blackpool last season.

In comparison, Wilfried Zaha — who agreed to join Manchester United from Crystal Palace for an initial fee of £10 million in January — netted eight goals and nine assists in 46 league appearances.