Keegan set for battle to keep Milner as he's told to sell to raise cash for players

Kevin Keegan is facing a fresh battle with the board to hang on to James Milner after made a £9million offer for the England Under-21 winger.

I've got to sell who? Keegan's problems are mounting up

It comes after Villa boss Martin O’Neill also made an enquiry about former England forward Alan Smith, who had seemed destined for Everton.

Newcastle manager Keegan is still desperate to add to his squad before the season kicks off at champions Manchester United on Sunday, but he has been warned by owner Mike Ashley that he must sell before he can bring in any more new faces.

Last week Keegan fought to keep Smith at the club after Ashley accepted a £3m bid for the ex-Manchester United and Leeds striker from Everton manager David Moyes.

Newcastle’s resolve will be further tested by Villa’s interest in the player.

Milner, however, who has been on O'Neill's shopping list for two years, could now be sacrificed to fund future deals at St James’ Park and the £9m offer placed on the table  will be very tempting for Ashley, who has not hidden his frustration at the perilous state of Newcastle's finances, admitting this week he still has to fund £27m towards past transfer deals.

On the few occasions he has spoken this summer, Keegan has insisted that former Leeds junior Milner, who spent a season on loan at Villa Park, is an important member of his small squad, which has been only partially strengthened this season.

Those words could now be irrelevant if Ashley wins the latest boardroom battle with his manager.

Even the new signings Newcastle have concluded have not run smoothly. Keegan has brought in Argentina midfielder Jonas Gutierrez, who plays in Milner's preferred position on the right, but he is unlikely to feature  at Old Trafford because of complications surrounding his move from Real Mallorca, which centre around ownership of the player.

The FA have called on FIFA to resolve the dispute because the Spanish FA are refusing to release his international registration.

Newcastle have also been closing in on Gutierrez’s international team-mate Fabricio Coloccini but a proposed £10m move for the centre-back from Deportivo La Coruna has so far failed to materialise.

Changing clubs? James Milner could switch from Newcastle to Villa

Coloccini was in the crowd at St James’ Park for last  Saturday's clash with Valencia,
where Ashley wore a shirt with the player’s name on the back, but he was not at an open training session at the ground yesterday, which was attended by around 12,000 supporters - most of whom booed Smith.

Captain Michael Owen managed a run-out at the open day, which was closed to the media bar a brief ten-minute segment for cameramen.

The England striker could be fit to face United on Sunday after missing most of pre-season, bringing some relief to Keegan and Newcastle supporters.

Meanwhile midfielder Joey Barton has admitted a Football Association charge of violent conduct which relates to assault on his former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo on May 1 2007.

While serving a six-month sentence in Strangeways Prison for a separate assault on a teenager in Liverpool city centre, Barton pleaded guilty to the Dabo attack.

He was ordered to served a four month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and to complete 200 hours of unpaid community work, on top of paying Dabo £3,000 compensation and court costs of £3,430.

He has requested a personal hearing with the FA and is facing as much as a ten-game ban and substantial fine.