Pardew doesn’t want to sell

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has stated that it will take an extortionate transfer fee to tempt the Tyneside club to part with one of their star players, as the big teams keep tabs on the excelling side.

The Magpies suffered their first defeat of the season to Manchester City at the weekend, and have impressed with their brand of football that has taken them up to third place in the Premier League.

With the January transfer window approaching, the likes of Fabricio Coloccini, Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye have been linked with moves, but Pardew wants to keep his main men.

“It is going to cost a hell of a lot of money, a hell of a lot of money because we’re in that position now,” he told the Sunday Mirror.

“I think any of our players that get linked to other clubs, those clubs are going to need to know they’ll need to pay a shed load of money to get anyone out of this football club.

“I don’t envisage anyone going out in this window, but if a club, one of the top clubs, comes in and wants to pay way, way over the odds we’ll have to look at it,” he stated.

Pardew is set to lose striker Demba Ba and Tiote to the African Nations Cup in early 2012, and has revealed that he wants two new additions in the window.

“We have looked at the African Nations Cup and we have looked at the next window.

“I think the maximum we would do is two players in. That would be our maximum. Then if anyone left, it would be a third,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight