NEWCASTLE UNITED have made a renewed bid to sign Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldinho.

The Magpies are understood to have bowed to Paris St Germain's demand and offered Frenchmen Olivier Bernard and Laurent Robert in exchange for the Samba star.

The £10m-rated attacking midfielder looks set to leave PSG this summer and Newcastle are just one of a number of clubs chasing his signature.

And manager Sir Bobby Robson is so desperate to get his man, he is willing to offload his two left-sided stars, Bernard and Robert, to ensure his wish is granted.

However, even if the Le Championnat giants accept Newcastle's latest bid for Ronaldinho, the St James' Park outfit face strong competition from a posse of other Champions League rivals.

Both Manchester United and Real Madrid, among others, are considering firming up an approach for Ronaldinho.

And the player, who famously caught England keeper David Seaman out with a long range dipping free-kick in the World Cup last summer, is known to prefer a move to the Bernabeu, where he would team up with close friends and fellow countrymen Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo.

Both United and Real's bids for Ronaldinho are thought to depend on the seemingly inevitable transfer of Red Devils superstar David Beckham.

The England skipper is currently the subject of hot transfer gossip after Man. United accepted an offer believed to be around £30m from presidential candidate, Joan Laporta, keen to take over at Barcelona.

Real are also expected to make a counter bid for Beckham which, if successful, would almost certainly end Ronaldinho's dream of moving to Madrid.

A move to Old Trafford for Ronaldinho would also depend on the sale of Beckham.

Meanwhile, transfer-listed Newcastle midfielder Jamie McClen has revealed how he always feared signing for the club he supported as a boy would end prematurely.

But the shattering news that he will be allowed to leave the Tyneside club has failed to put a dent in the 24-year-old's hopes of becoming a success on the football stage.

And McClen singled out Geordie hero Lee Clark as the perfect example to follow.

Clark left Newcastle and joined fierce North-East rivals Sunderland for £2.5m in 1997 before moving on to Fulham for £3m two years later.

And McClen is convinced he is capable of emulating Clark and become just as big a name in the Premiership.

"As a Newcastle supporter all my life it does feel disappointing that the club are letting me go, but it had to happen one day," said McClen.

"I've had some great times here and I'll always be a Geordie and I'll always support the Toon.

"Lee Clark also supported the club but just like me he wanted first team football.

"Of all the clubs to offer him the chance was Sunderland. I now know what he felt like when he left, and I can also understand why he wanted to stay in the North-East. But I'd go anywhere as long as I am playing.

"It's not the longest of careers and I'm as hungry now to get on in the game as I've ever been."

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