NEWCASTLE United have turned their attentions to Marseille's Daniel van Buyten in a bid to bolster their backline.

Manager Sir Bobby Robson is believed to be preparing an £8m bid for van Buyten - described in Belgium as their version of Jaap Stam - after being snubbed in his bid to sign Leeds' Jonathan Woodgate.

The centre-back, who stands 6ft 5in, has been making a name for himself in Le Championnat at Marseille alongside former Chelsea defender Franck Leboeuf.

And van Buyten is known to be keen on making the switch to the Premiership, although Newcastle could face strong competition from Manchester United.

Robson, who has been linked with a number of defenders in recent months, including Stam, is desperate to add more strength to his leaky defence.

"I think I will be linked with several more players," he said. "I've just had an agent on the phone trying to sell me a Romanian centre half who I haven't even heard of, so I suppose he'll be in the papers next. It's just speculation."

Robson, meanwhile, revealed he will not risk Kieron Dyer in the FA Cup third round tie at Wolverhampton tomorrow if the midfielder fails to make it through training this morning.

The Newcastle schemer missed the New Year's Day win over Liverpool with a calf injury and might have to wait until next week's clash at West Ham for his return.

"We don't want to rush him back and it would be foolhardy of us if we did," said Robson. "It's a calf injury but it's not a pull, it's just a tired muscle and that's when it goes if you keep working on it.

"I want to play him and I want him in the team but I won't play him if he's not right."

If Dyer does not prove his fitness Clarence Acuna will continue to deputise. And Robson has been delighted with the way Chilean, who made his first League start of the season against Liverpool, has gone about his work.

"Clarence has bided his time and he has been a true professional," he said. "He has never knocked on my door or made a big deal of anything. He has just bundled along in training and kept himself fit."

The victory over Liverpool propelled Newcastle into a Champions League place again - with the added bonus of having a game in hand over their rivals.

But Robson insists he is not willing to sacrifice FA Cup glory in his attempts to play in European football's premier competition again. Instead he wants his players to achieve glory on both fronts.

He said: "We hope to do both. I can't talk about winning the FA Cup, all I can talk about is beating Wolverhampton and making sure we are in the fourth round draw.

"We can't look too far ahead in the FA Cup. It's a marvellous competition, it's the greatest I know and I've managed clubs all over Europe.

"Abroad, the clubs get excited about the cup competitions the later they go on.

"But in England clubs get excited in the third and fourth round because it's brilliant.

"I hope they always retain it and I hope it always means a lot to us."

Despite Wolves' poor form - they lie four points off a First Division play-off place - Robson is convinced Newcastle will be in for a tough time.

He believes that two of Dave Jones' elder-statesmen - former Middlesbrough midfielder Paul Ince and Manchester United's Denis Irwin - will be going out to prove they can still compete with their Premiership opponents.

"It is just a single game and I don't care what league they are in because to anyone it's a big scalp," said Robson, whose side were knocked out at the quarter-final stage last year by Arsenal.

"Wolves have got nothing to lose. They are at home and they'll be trying to beat us. It will be a big blow to this club if they knock us out.

"Both Ince and Irwin could have gone on at that higher level but they chose to go to a club where they would be regulars.

"They made that decision and they now hope to rejuvenate a big club. The last time they played they got 26,000, so they are a big club.

"There'll be a big crowd on Sunday and we will have to be on our guard."

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