NEWCASTLE United will face a fight to prise striker Laurent Robert from Paris St. Germain if they firm up their interest in the French international.

Sources in France claim United chairman Freddy Shepherd is booked for talks with Robert's agent, Pape Diouf, to discuss a possible deal.

But PSG are keen to hold on to the 26-year-old, who is also attracting the attention of AC Milan.

And a £10m asking price would almost certainly proved prohibitive for the Magpies.

United, who only a fortnight ago splashed out £6m to sign Wales striker Craig Bellamy from Coventry, already have a £7m offer on the table for Barcelona winger Boudewjin Zenden. But rivals Lyon could have an ace up their sleeves in defender Jeremie Brechet.

Barca are said to be interested in Brechet and there is talk of a swap deal involving 24-year-old Zenden.

Lyon can also offer the Dutch international Champions' League football next season.

Newcastle, on the other hand, are confronted with what appears an increasingly arduous Intertoto Cup campaign as they battle to qualify for the UEFA Cup.

United boss Bobby Robson is today in Belgium to see who his side will face in round three of the Intertoto.

Sporting Lokeren host Poland's Zaglebie Lubin, with the Belgians favourites to go through after a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their second-round tie.

And Newcastle are hoping home advantage proves decisive for Lokeren.

The prospect of a visit to Poland next weekend is filling United with dread and causing massive logistical problems after Lubin changed the venue of the first leg four times because their ground has been declared unfit by UEFA.

Lubin now propose to stage the match in the remote town of Plock, which would mean United travelling by road for an hour-and-a-half because the nearest suitable hotel for the Magpies' party is in Warsaw.

United's chief operating officer, Russell Cushing, said yesterday: "Right now we don't know our opponents - therefore which country we're playing in - nor even the exact date of the match, even though our Intertoto Cup entry is only a week away.

"Administratively, it's a nightmare. We're having to make two sets of plans and we will have to utilise one of them at the last moment.

"We don't even know if we're playing the away leg on the Saturday or Sunday of next week - it evidently depends on who wins tomorrow."

The second leg is at St James' Park a fortnight tonight (7pm) when capacity will be temporarily cut to 36,000 because of further rebuilding work.

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