NEWCASTLE-bound Carlos Daniel Cordone was last night grounded as the 24-hour strike by French air traffic controllers delayed his arrival on Tyneside.

The Argentinian forward was left stranded in Spain after flying out of Buenos Aires in a bid to rubber-stamp his £500,000 12-month loan move from Racing Club.

But Newcastle expect the 26-year-old to check-in at St. James' Park and undergo a medical within the next 48 hours.

A club spokesman confirmed: "Cordone is currently in Spain. He's going to have to work out alternative flight arrangements because of the air traffic controllers' strike in France.

"But we do expect him later this week. The clubs have agreed terms and if he passes his medical, hopefully he'll be a Newcastle player.''

The Magpies have an option to make the deal permanent if they pay a further £2m in a year's time.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have slapped a £5m price tag on left-back Didier Domi after turning down a £4m-plus bid from Spanish giants Valencia.

The French Under-21 international is unhappy with his role at Newcastle and has also been tracked by homeland clubs Paris St. Germain and Lyon.

But with Italian left-back Alessandro Pistone having talks with Everton over a proposed £3m move to Goodison Park, Newcastle are in no hurry to let Domi go. Another Newcastle left-back, Carl Serrant, is the subject of enquiries from Birmingham and Sheffield United.

l NEWCASTLE'S England starlet Kieron Dyer faces a rap from boss Bobby Robson after being admitted to hospital following a weekend incident in an Ipswich nightclub.

The 21-year-old midfielder, who has been warned before about his off-field conduct by disciplinarian Robson, was discharged after treatment for what were described as minor injuries.

Dyer, signed from Ipswich last summer by Ruud Gullit for £6m, also featured in lurid newspaper allegations on Sunday.

A Newcastle spokesman said: "As far as the club is concerned, the manager will be having a word with Kieron Dyer.

"It will be in private and when he returns for pre-season training early next month.''

l Patrick Kluivert's third 'goal' for Holland against Yugoslavia on Sunday has been officially taken away from him.

The Barcelona striker celebrated his third after racing towards a near-post cross but later admitted he did not touch the ball which flew into the net off Dejan Govedarica. Referee Jose Maria Garcia Aranda gave the goal to Kluivert, and he looked destined to go down in history as the first player to score four in a European Championship finals game.

But UEFA announced that the strike will go down as an own goal and Kluivert will have to settle for a hat-trick. His three-goal blitz together with two for Marc Overmars and the controversial own goal helped the co-hosts rout Yugoslavia 6-1 in the quarter-final in Rotterdam's Feyenoord Stadium.