Football: Barnes to rejoin Dalglish

The Liverpool midfield player John Barnes will sign for Newcastle within the next 48 hours, a decision that has disappointed the West Ham manager, Harry Redknapp.

Redknapp had offered Barnes a two-year deal worth pounds 12,000 a week, but Barnes was on Tyneside yesterday and has agreed in principle to rejoin Kenny Dalglish, the Newcastle manager, the man who took him to Anfield. The deal must be completed by Friday for Barnes to be eligible to play in the Champions' League. Barnes' arrival will almost certainly hasten Peter Beardsley's departure from Newcastle, probably to Bolton.

For much of yesterday Redknapp was under the impression that Barnes would sign for his team, only to have his hopes thwarted by Newcastle - as was also the case with Stuart Pearce earlier in the summer.

"It's obviously a real disappointment, especially as it's the second time it's happened," Redkapp said last night. "If he's gone up there to talk to them, then that would seem to be that."

Earlier in the day Redknapp had said: "John's given us his word he'll sign for West Ham. If he says that, that's good enough. He's had Newcastle, Manchester United and Tottenham in touch, they've all asked about him, but he's told them that he's going to come to West Ham."

The Liverpool winger Mark Kennedy has asked for a transfer.

The Wolverhampton Wanderers manager, Mark McGhee, will make an offer for Aston Villa's Yugoslavian international midfielder Sasa Curcic, once Neil Emblen's pounds 2m transfer from Wolves to Crystal Palace goes through. Curcic cost pounds 4m from Bolton a year ago but has failed to establish himself at Villa Park. McGhee tried to take Curcic on loan last season.

The former West Ham and Everton striker Tony Cottee, 32, will complete his move to Leicester within the next 24 hours. Leicester have agreed a pounds 500,000 fee with Cottee's Malaysian club Selangor. But Leicester have failed with a bid of around pounds 2m for the Spurs winger Ruel Fox.

Manchester United have been denied permission by the Premier League to transmit home matches on closed-circuit television at Bury's Gigg Lane ground.

The Brighton chairman-elect, Dick Knight, is pushing ahead with his bid to switch from ground-sharing with Gillingham to Millwall's New Den.