Barcelona have slapped a £58million price tag on
Ronaldinho amid claims Newcastle's new owner Mike Ashley asked
about his availability.
Billionaire Ashley, who has recently taken control at St James'
Park in a £130million deal, appears to be looking to make his mark
with the Geordie faithful by making a signing which would rock the
entire football world.
However he would have to dig a lot deeper than anticipated for
27-year-old Brazilian star Ronaldinho after the Primera Liga giants
slapped a huge fee on his head.
The News of the World has revealed that Ashley made the enquiry
about Ronaldinho during discussions with the Catalan outfit, while
the paper also quoted a supposed club source, who revealed that any
move is unlikely unless Barca drop their near £60million asking
price.
The source said: "Mike is a billionaire but it remains to be seen
whether even he would sanction a deal of that magnitude."
Meanwhile boss Sam Allardyce is also being heavily linked with a
bid for Manchester United's Argentinian international defender Gaby
Heinze, but he would have to beat off competition from Liverpool
for his services.
