Newcastle United have made a £5m bid for the Rennes midfielder Stephane Mbia and have also enquired as to the availability of the West Ham United captain Lucas Neill, who manager Joe Kinnear hopes to bring in on a loan deal with a view to a permanent move.Kinnear has made an enquiry over the 30-year-old West Ham defender as he attempts to cover for the loss of Habib Beye to an ankle injury.The Newcastle manager is now awaiting news of the club's firm offer for the 22-year-old Cameroon international Mbia, and developments with Neill. He said: "We have put a bid in writing for Stephane Mbia and we are waiting to hear from his club. We have put a bid in of £5m and we are waiting to see what the outcome of that is."Asked about Neill, he added: "We have spoken to his agent and it is ongoing at the moment, we are just waiting to see. We could get an answer at any time."West Ham, who are up for sale and under pressure to cut costs, will get one of their highest earners off the wage bill if a deal for Neill goes through. The Australian earns around £70,000 a week at Upton Park after West Ham beat Liverpool to his signature from Blackburn Rovers two years ago.Kinnear claimed last night that the club had made two £4m offers for unnamed players. With his interest in Toulouse defender Albin Ebondo having apparently cooled, it is understood St Etienne striker Bafetimbi Gomis could now be in his sights.Meanwhile, Geremi and his representatives are still in talks over a proposed move to Turkish club Besiktas which could further boost the manager's transfer funds.Transfer windowNewcastle UnitedWest Ham UnitedPremier LeagueRennesLigue 1guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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