Football: Newcastle deny pounds 14m bid for Shearer

NEWCASTLE UNITED have denied reports that Serie A side Parma have made a pounds 14m bid for Alan Shearer. The Italians are reported to be interested in reuniting the England striker with his former club-mate, Faustino Asprilla.

The Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Parma have made a 40billion lira offer Shearer. However, Newcastle continue to insist the England captain is not for sale - at any price - and that, anyway, they have not received any bid for their pounds 15m record buy.

Shearer, along with former England captain Stuart Pearce and club captain Rob Lee, met the new manager Ruud Gullit seven days ago to discuss the future and the direction things would go, and there has been no indication that Shearer has decided it is time to move.

Parma's reputed bid for Shearer comes after they failed in an audacious attempt to sign Gabriel Batistuta from Fiorentina. Gullit was unavailable for comment.

Everton hope to sign the Italian striker Igor Protti from Lazio today in the first of several deals at Goodison. Walter Smith, their manager, is flying in the 32-year-old Protti and plans to complete the deal in time for him to face Leeds United on Saturday.

Smith wants Protti and the African Ibrahima Bakayoko, of Montpellier, in a new-look attack, once he has agreed with Middlesbrough a valuation for Duncan Ferguson.