BARCELONA have confirmed they will listen to offers for Patrick Kluivert as Newcastle United line up a New Year swoop.

Nou Camp president Joan Laporta insists the Dutch striker's immediate future lies in the hands of coach Frank Rijkaard.

Kluivert is in the final year of his contract and expected to move when the transfer window reopens in January.

Northern Echo Sport revealed this summer that Sir Bobby Robson had identified Kluivert as the long-term replacement for skipper Alan Shearer.

The Magpies have negotiated first refusal to sign Kluivert if he becomes available and were in the hunt for a cut-price deal in the close season before the former Ajax star elected to stay in Catalonia. Laporta said yesterday: "If the coaching team were to ask us to look at an option, then we would study it.''

Barca's sporting director, Txiki Beguiristan, maintained: "At the moment, there are no offers on the table for Kluivert.''

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Newcastle defender Jonathan Woodgate might have broken down just days into his comeback if surgeons had not carried out a double hernia operation.

The 23-year-old England international finally had to admit defeat in his efforts to play through the pain barrier after returning from United's FA Premier League Asia Cup campaign in the summer with an abdominal problem.

Woodgate underwent surgery on September 27, and is expected to be out for up to eight weeks. Robson said: ''He's had a double hernia operation, and I've been told everything is fine. The other one had gone, which was lucky.

''It was just as well we did them both together. If we had just had the one done the chances are that the other would have needed doing as soon as he came back.

''He could have spent seven or eight weeks getting back to fitness from the first operation and then needed another one straightaway, which would have put him out again.

''We've killed two birds with one stone. This should be the end of it now. He's now working towards getting back into training.''

l Newcastle winger Nolberto Solano is ready to return to the first-team fray after proving his fitness in the Reserves at Doncaster this week.

The Peruvian, who has been hampered by a groin injury, was among the goals in a 3-1 win. "It was good to get 90 minutes after missing the last couple of games,'' said Solano.

"I felt OK after the game and it was good to score. I'm ready to come back into the first team now, and hopefully I will be involved when we got to Breda in the UEFA Cup next week.

"We go to Middlesbrough after that and it would be great to go into that game with another win after beating Southampton last week.''

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