Barton set for City exit after fight with Dabo at training

Manchester City will seriously consider selling Joey Barton this summer after he was suspended by the club for a violent altercation with his team-mate Ousmane Dabo, who required hospital treatment for cuts to his face following the incident, which erupted during a training game at City's Carrington complex.

Barton has a £5.5m get-out clause in his contract and Everton are thought to be among the interested parties.

The City manager, Stuart Pearce, reacted swiftly and, in conjunction with the club's chairman, John Wardle, and chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh, has banned Barton for the remainder of the season.

Barton, 24, will face an internal disciplinary hearing at some point at which he will be asked to explain his actions. The two players are said to have repeatedly fouled each other before squaring up, after which Barton reportedly hit Dabo six or seven times.

Only last week, Barton attacked the way City were being run and criticised some of the new signings before claiming he would not have paid to watch the Blues if he had been a fan.

Barton escaped sanction for his tirade. However, the latest problem brings back instant reminders of incidents that have dogged his past. In 2004, Barton was fined a club record six weeks' wages for an attack on team-mate Jamie Tandy. During the players' Christmas party, Barton stubbed out a cigar in Tandy's eye.

Barton's agent Willie McKay attempted to defend the player yesterday. "As far as I've heard, he was defending himself," McKay said. "But because it is Joey it makes headlines. It happens on training grounds all over the country."

The former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's accountants confirmed to the Stock Exchange yesterday that they had made an "indicative proposal" to City and will complete due diligence before advising their client whether to table a formal bid. Sources close to Shinawatra say he is likely to maintain the current management structure in the short term, and have ruled out any chance of Sam Allardyce , who resigned as Bolton manager at the weekend, replacing Pearce.