Wigan ace to go if top four make a move
Published 23:05 05/06/11 By Alan Nixon
Wigan supremo Dave Whelan will sell star Charles N’Zogbia for £9million – if a Champions League club wants him.
Whelan has decided to let the French flier go in this window if he becomes a target for a top-four outfit as he backs up boss Roberto Martinez's plan for the Latics ace.
Both Whelan and Martinez agree it is fair to let N'Zogbia make a move if it is to one of the leading sides around, but they will be far tougher to deal with if they are approached by a rival.
Steve Bruce's Sunderland and Newcastle United are also keen on N'Zogbia, but they will have to match that valuation - and even then it would not be a straightforward answer.
Bruce may make the first move this week and offer around £6 million as he starts the major revamp of his squad, with N'Zogbia the obvious replacement for Liverpool target Jordan Henderson.
The Toon Army had a £11 million bid rejected in the closing minutes of the January deadline, a decision that both Whelan and Martinez feel saved their skins.
Martinez is trying to land players without selling N'Zogbia and hopes to speak to Almeria's Argentinian winger Pablo Piatti this week.
