NEWCASTLE boss Graeme Souness last night admitted he could not afford to match Charlton's valuation of Danny Murphy, but warned Alan Curbishley he would not be willing to lose Lee Bowyer on the cheap.

Murphy has spent much of this week in talks with Newcastle over a possible move to St James' Park that would see Bowyer moving in the other direction.

The former Liverpool midfielder, who is understood to be unhappy at The Valley, is keen to join the Magpies in an attempt to win a place in England's World Cup squad.

But, while Newcastle want to sign him in a straight swap for Bowyer, Charlton are demanding £2.5m as well as the tough-tackling midfielder.

That is a sum the Magpies are both unable and unwilling to spend. Chairman Freddy Shepherd has ruled out paying a fee for a player who has similar credentials to Bowyer, as he feels there is insufficient difference between the two. They are both fringe internationals and, perhaps not unreasonably, Shepherd is refusing to write off Bowyer as a free transfer while Charlton receive the £2.5m they paid for Murphy 18 months ago.

With Curbishley insisting there will be no deal unless Newcastle splash the cash, Souness now looks like missing out on one of his major transfer targets.

The need for Murphy will be apparent when the Magpies take the field at Fulham this afternoon.

With Turkish international Emre still nursing a hamstring problem, Bowyer and Lee Clark are the only central midfielders fit and available for action. Scott Parker remains sidelined for at least another month, while Amdy Faye is in Egypt for the African Nations Cup.

"There's no secret Lee Bowyer wants to return to the south of England," said Souness. "And Charlton are one of the clubs that are interested in him.

"But, as I understand it, they are miles apart on their valuations. It's something the chairman is dealing with and that's as much as I can tell you.

"I don't think it will happen though, simply because of the valuations."

Souness is desperate to add to his ranks, with a crippling injury list seemingly growing by the day.

The manager is determined to get his reign in charge of the Magpies back on track, with the Scot dividing opinion on Tyneside more than most managers in Newcastle United's recent history.

Where Souness is concerned there does not appear to be any middle ground. He is either loved or loathed by the Geordie faithful.

He takes his side to west London on the back of last weekend's FA Cup win over Mansfield Town.

The manager was grateful to his skipper, Alan Shearer, last weekend and he will hope to see him score the one goal he needs to go ahead of Jackie Milburn in the goalscoring stakes, despite the striker never having scored at Craven Cottage

Victory today followed by success over Blackburn Rovers at St James' Park would soften the dissenting voices if not silence them.

When the United boss puts a winning sequence together he is hailed as the club's saviour and the right man for the job.

Yet when Newcastle crash to a couple of defeats it is not uncommon to hear calls for his head - such is the nature of football management by the Tyne.

His spell in charge has been hampered by an injury list that would have any manager tearing his hair out, and the club's fortunes have wavered rather than prospered.

Consequently, Souness has been criticised for taking the club backwards rather than forwards and it appears he is always only two bad results away from the high jump.

The criticism he receives may be unfair at times but the former Rangers, Liverpool and Blackburn manager has failed to endear himself to many supporters by several questionable buys.

Ten first team players, who helped the Magpies to three successive top five finishes, have been replaced, and many of those who have come through the door have failed to improve the quality of the squad.

Souness admitted the United fans have yet to see the best of players like £9.5m Albert Luque, but he is convinced the former Deportivo La Coruna man will deliver the goods.

"In Albert Luque's defence, out of all the injuries we have had at this football club this year, his is by far the worst," said Souness.

"I think he's played only four games.

"If you go back and look at Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Dennis Bergkamp and other top foreign players, they all needed a year. I'm not suggesting he needs a year, but other players need more than four or five games.

"Albert Luque is a top class performer and I think he will prove that in time.

"If you can be a top player in La Liga and play for your country you are a good player."

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