By Matthew Jones
June 18 2002

Newcastle manager Bobby Robson has admitted the club are chasing Brazilian star Rivaldo. England will line up against Rivaldo and his South American team-mates in the Friday's World Cup quarter-finals. Newcastle manager Bobby Robson has admitted the club are chasing Brazilian star Rivaldo.

England will line up against Rivaldo and his South American team-mates in the Friday's World Cup quarter-finals.

But Robson has confirmed reports that he wants the 30-year-old to join Kieron Dyer and the rest of his Magpies squad at St James' Park next season.

Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd is currently in negotiations which will decide if the club can afford Rivaldo, a £16m buy for Barcelona from Deportivo La Coruna in 1997.

"We know that he could be available and our chairman, at the moment, is investigating the financial possibilities of that," Robson told a radio interview.

"It's colossal but we are looking into it. You can't keep anything quiet with the papers. That's the position as it is at the moment."

Signing Rivaldo, who has scored in all four of Brazil's World Cup matches so far in Japan and Korea would signal Newcastle's intention to be real Premiership contenders next season.

Robson led the club to fourth spot last season to earn a place in this season's Champions League.