YOU can't help but feel there is something Freddy Shepherd is not telling us.

Has Patrick Kluivert already had enough of playing second fiddle? Are Craig Bellamy or Shola Ameobi about to be sold? Or is it that Alan Shearer is about to take on his first managerial role at Southampton?

Otherwise why is the Newcastle chairman splashing all the money raised from selling a defender on trying to add a fifth quality striker to the club's playing staff?

Capturing Rooney would shock the football world. Manchester United, Chelsea and even Real Madrid have explored the possibility of signing Everton's magnificent young striker.

But none have been prepared to put their money where their mouths are and Newcastle have fired the first arrow at an attractive target.

There now seems to be a strong possibility that Everton are going to have to admit defeat in their attempts to retain Rooney's services. After all he is no nearer penning a new £13m five-year deal first offered to him on July 6.

The Goodison Park side's financial plight - they are around £30m in debt - will not help their cause and another offer of nearer that figure could persuade chairman Bill Kenwright to sell.

If, and more importantly when, Kenwright does give in to temptation Newcastle are sure to find their efforts made even harder by the fact that they are likely to be gazumped by Manchester United - even if Robson does not expect it.

With that in mind, this doesn't really seem worth Shepherd bending over backwards to try to bring in the hottest property in English football since a raw Paul Gascoigne.

Ask many Geordie fans around St James' tonight and they will tell you: 'Exciting name but do we need him? What we need is a world-class defender.'

Jonathan Woodgate's departure has left Newcastle bereft of options at the heart of the defence. So that is why it is strange to hear that Shepherd is prepared to spend the £13.4m raised from that sale on boosting his attacking ranks.

Young defenders such as Michael Dawson and Calum Davenport may have good futures ahead of them and are available at relatively low prices, but Sir Bobby Robson craves a defender with experience and that tends to arrive at a much higher cost.

The case for Newcastle is the defence Mr Shepherd; so why not throw the Rooney money at one of the world's best defenders - £20m-plus will buy the cream across the globe. That will be the only way a place back among the Premiership's top four can be achieved.