Bolton keen on Joey Barton

Bolton boss Gary Megson has made a surprise £2million bid for Newcastle United's Joey Barton.

Megson is keen on Barton but cannot afford both a huge fee and his giant wages, so has opened the bidding low.

He believes the fiery Scouser, also a target for TonyAdams' Portsmouth, could be keen on coming back nearer home.

Megson looked into signing Barton, 26, last summer but pulled back because he faced a longer jail term than anticipated.

But the deal would be a coup if Wanderers can pull it off at the price.

Barton has started training again after suffering a broken leg.

Newcastle's money men would like to see the back of Barton. They tried to make him take a pay-cut before the season began and would trade him despite Joe Kinnear picking him for the side.

Megson is also poised to sign French defender Sebastian Puygrenier on loan from Zenit St Petersburg - and drop his interest in West Ham's Callum Davenport.

Wanderers agreed a £3m deal for Davenport before Puygrenier, 26, came up.

Megson said: "I don't want to upset people, but sometimes it happens."