Newcastle have been active in the summer transfer window, with Ewen Jaouen, Sean Steur, Aladji Bamba and Bazoumana Toure arriving at St James' Park. There will be plenty more incomings and outgoings across the Premier League as the final month of the window gets underway, and Newcastle are hoping to avoid losing any more key figures after Eddie Howe's shock departure earlier this week.
Bellamy used United's interest as leverage
Craig Bellamy knows what it is like to be a transfer target at Newcastle. After moving from Coventry City, he impressed on Tyneside and caught the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson, who enquired about signing him for Manchester United in 2002. Bellamy later revealed how he used that interest to get a better deal.
"Actually, there was a link with Sir Alex as far back as 2002, when my representatives went to see him at United's training ground, with a view to a move going ahead," Bellamy said in 2013.
"But Newcastle had just qualified for the Champions League, I loved playing for Sir Bobby Robson and had just been offered a new contract there. To be honest, I used an inquiry from United to hold out for a better deal."
A deal that took time to complete
Talks were initially put on hold after Bellamy was sent off in a 4-1 defeat to Inter Milan in November 2002. The improved contract was eventually signed in January 2003, committing him to the north east for four more years.
Ferguson later tried again to sign Bellamy when he was at Manchester City. Bellamy recalled: "It's true – my adviser had a conversation with United in 2010, shortly before I came to Cardiff on loan. It was great to feel wanted, and I would have loved to do it, but it was never going to be allowed to happen.
"If Man City had agreed to it, then great. But, point-blank, they said no, and I never once pushed it. After Carlos Tevez had moved in the opposite direction the year before, I didn't expect anything to come of it."
United's continued Newcastle interest
Manchester United have since been linked with Newcastle stars again, with Lewis Hall the most recent player named in such reports, although for now the speculation has not gone further.
Bellamy, meanwhile, spent four years at Newcastle in total, with a loan at Celtic followed by stints at West Ham, Liverpool, Cardiff and Blackburn Rovers. He retired in 2014 at the age of 34 while playing for Cardiff.
