Football: Magpies block Beardsley move

Newcastle United have blocked Peter Beardsley's move to Bolton Wanderers because the England veteran is needed at St James' Park.

Kenny Dalglish, Newcastle's manager, has stopped the pounds 500,000 transfer to the Premier League newcomers after losing Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand and failing to sign a replacement striker to play in their qualifying matches for the Champions' League, against Croatia Zagreb, this month.

It is a surprise change of fortune for Beardsley. He was reluctant to move but he had been told by Dalglish that his first-team chances were limited and was given permission to talk Bolton's manager, Colin Todd.

However, Newcastle has already started scouting for the future and watched Ibrahim Bakayoko, a pounds 4m-rated Ivory Coast striker, play for the French club Montpellier in an Inter-Toto Cup tie on Wednesday. Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City are also interested in the player.

United have abandoned their attempt to sign Celio Silva because he has been refused a work permit. United's manager, Alex Ferguson, thought two weeks ago he had pulled off the pounds 3.5m signing of the defender from the Brazilian club, Corinthians, but now he has accepted he must give up on the 29-year-old, who has played six times for Brazil.

Attilio Lombardo's move to Crystal Palace is back on again, a week after it looked to be dead. Transfer talks collapsed last week over the 31-year-old Juventus winger's wage demands, but Palace's manager, Steve Coppell, said there was a misunderstanding over net and gross pay.

The referee who sent off two Arsenal players during the friendly match away to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday, said the players had given him no alternative. "But if I had known how it was going to end I would have blown for time a minute earlier. It was only a friendly after all," he said yesterday.

Jan Wegereef sent off Patrick Vieira for kneeing a PSV player in the last minute, and moments later dismissed the teenager Matthew Upson for "serious foul play". He did not realise he could be putting two of Arsene Wenger's players out of the Premiership for three games. "In Holland you will only get suspensions for friendly matches if you are cautioned or red-carded in a friendly," he said.

Fifa yesterday deferred setting a transfer fee for Ronaldo until September. "Inter Milan's offer and Barcelona's idea were too far apart, so Fifa decided not to make a proposal," a Fifa spokesman said. The matter will be left to a special committee in early September.

Norwich City have signed the 24-year-old Spanish defender Victor Segura from Lleida, the Spanish Second Division side, on a free transfer.