Football: Dalglish offers pounds 1.5m for Given

Kenny Dalglish's strengthening of his Newcastle team shows no sign of abating.Yesterday he made a pounds 1.5m offer to his old club, Blackburn Rovers, to take the goalkeeper Shay Given to St James' Park.

Dalglish wants to sign the Republic of Ireland prospect quickly and avoid a price war with his former employer Jack Walker. Newcastle are also ready to throw in a further pounds 500,000 in instalments, based on appearances, in the hope of pushing the deal through quickly.

Dalglish wants to sign Given this week as he adds to his squad for next season with deals for Dane Jon Dahl Thomasson and Georgian Temur Ketsbaia also sealed.

Rovers are resigned to losing Given at the end of his contract. He is not willing to stay any longer as cover for Tim Flowers.

Relegated Nottingham Forest have put the Dutchman Bryan Roy and the Croatian Nikola Jerkan up for sale. The unsettled pair, both still under contract, have decided to leave the City Ground, after discussing their futures with the new manager, Dave Bassett.

"I had a chat with both of them and couldn't really offer them any assurances over their futures at the club,'' Bassett said.

"Both players have still got good reputations on the Continent, even though things may not have worked out as well as they would have hoped at Forest, and I'm sure they will get fixed up with new clubs."

Ruud Gullit, the Chelsea manager, yesterday told his Italian striker Gianluca Vialli he was still wanted at Stamford Bridge.

Gullit, who has taken his FA Cup winners to Hong Kong to give the players the chance to "chill out", said the former Juventus player could yet make his mark at the club. "Nobody at this club has to leave. We want everybody to stay, that counts for Vialli and everyone, and everybody at this club has a fair chance," Gullit said.

The Chelsea team, who suffered in the heat and humidity of Wembley on Saturday, will have worse to contend with in Hong Kong where they play an exhibition today against the local champions, South China. Thunderstorms have been rumbling and the humidity was up to 93 per cent.

Caspian, the owners of Leeds United, have been chosen as preferred developers for a new multi-purpose arena integrated with a redeveloped West Stand at the club's Elland Road stadium. The new West Stand will increase the capacity at Elland Road to 45,000 from the current 40,000.