Inler could prove a real Wise transfer

5:05am Friday 4th July 2008

NEWCASTLE officials have opened talks with Switzerland international Gokhan Inler after watching the midfielder impress in all of three of his country's matches at last month's European Championships.

Executive director (football) Dennis Wise met with Inler's representatives at the start of this week, and is hopeful of making the central midfielder his second signing of the summer following the capture of Argentinian winger Jonas Gutierrez.

Inler was one of Serie A's surprise successes last season, having only moved to Italian side Udinese at the end of last summer.

The 24-year-old, who is of Turkish origin, made 32 appearances in the Italian top-flight, and his impressive displays earned him a call-up to the full Swiss national side.

His stock on the European stage has risen considerably in the last 12 months, but his current Udinese contract contains a 10m Euros buy-out clause that enables any prospective suitor to sign him for around £7.9m.

Newcastle are ready to trigger the clause, but are also aware of possible interest from Arsenal and confirmed approaches from a number of Udinese's Serie A rivals.

Those approaches led Wise to contact Udinese directly and arrange a meeting with Inler's representatives, in which he pledged to increase the midfielder's current wages of around £25,000-a-week.

Inler has been on holiday since Switzerland exited Euro 2008 at the group stage, but is understood to have told Udinese officials he will make a decision on his future when he returns to Italy at the start of next week.

Newcastle remain hopeful that he will agree to a move to the North-East, and his arrival would place further question marks over the future of disgraced midfielder Joey Barton.

Meanwhile, Real Mallorca president Vicente Grande has pledged to contact FIFA in an attempt to gain compensation for Gutierrez's departure to Newcastle.

Gutierrez bought out the final two years of his Mallorca contract after invoking article 17 of FIFA's transfer regulations, and the move deprived his former Spanish employers of around £7.5m in possible transfer fees.

Portsmouth had offered to pay more than £7m for Gutierrez in January, and Mallorca officials will press for a FIFA tribunal in an attempt to recoup at least a proportion of that money from the Magpies.

"We do not understand the attitude of this player," said Grande. "And we believe the way he left was simply a strategy so he could go to England.

"This is a situation that has done much damage to our club, as we are already in a delicate financial situation. As a result, the club has decided to go to FIFA and a tribunal in an attempt to reclaim what is ours by right.

"The minimum we want to recuperate is the 10m Euros that Portsmouth offered to Mallorca in the last winter market. For us, this subject is not finished."

Mallorca are understood to have initiated legal action in Spain, but the situation has been further clouded by claims from Gutierrez's former employers in Argentina, Velez Sarsfield, that they still own 50 per cent of the player.

"Jonas Gutierrez was due to return to Velez Sarsfield on July 1 in accordance with the contracts signed with Mallorca, owners of 50 per cent of his economic rights," said Velez Sarsfield president Alvaro Balestrini.

"After three seasons on loan at Mallorca he would have had to come back to Velez if Newcastle had not come in."

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