The Guardian:
Newcastle's manager [Allardyce] fears he may have missed out on signing Silvestre from Manchester United. Although Allardyce is believed to have agreed a £6m fee with United for the left-back, Silvestre turned him down due to Joey Barton's presence at St James' Park. Manchester City's Ousmane Dabo is Silvestre's best friend and the victim of an alleged training ground assault by Barton at City. Newcastle are hoping the arrival of Silvestre's former team-mate Smith may change his mind.